a moving, emotional return home for two american journalists held prisoner in north korea. what they're saying about their nearly 5-month or deal. and a man opened fire at a health club killing three women and himself. and taking a nice leisurely run down a highway. we'll tell you what happens when a car gets in the way. the nightmare is over for two american journalists who

have been held in north korea for four months. euna lee and laura ling there. euna lee there with her 4-year-old daughter who hasn't seen her in 140 days and not a dry eye in the place i should point out when they got off the plane. lynn looked overjoyed to see her parents and her sister lisa. lee was just overcome with emotion when she embraced her emotion and her daughter hannah. both women were arrested in north korea in march. they were charged with entering the country illegally and had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. former president clinton convinced kim jong-il to pardon them. >> 18 hours ago, euna lee and i were prisoners in north korea.

we feared that at any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp. and then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting. we were taken to a location and when we walked in through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. >> boy, can you imagine how they were overcome at that moment? lee and ling were employed by the media company owned by al gore. president obama watched this joyous reunion on television as we all did here. he said he is breathing a sigh of relief now that the women are back home. >> i want to just make a brief comment about the fact that the two young journalists, euna lee

and laura ling are safely back with their families. we are obviously extraordinarily relieved. i had an opportunity to speak with the families yesterday once we knew that they were on the plane. the reunion that we have all seen on television, i think is a source of happiness not only for the families, but for the entire country. we want to know what you think about this, does former president clinton's mission, do you believe open the doors to better relations with north korea at this point? give us a call at 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln. and you can text us your views at hlntv. police say a man killed himself after firing 50 bullets inside a fitness center near

pittsburgh killing three women and injuring ten other people. susan candiotti has been following this all night, she joins us from western pennsylvania. susan as of this morning, what do we know about this gunman. >> christi, we're slowly starts to chip away at this man to find out exactly who he is. we're finding out his name according to a law enforcement source is george sodini, he is 48 years old. he works as a system analyst at a local law firm. and he was a member of the gym, he talked about going there all the time, working out, getting buff. and which also learned that he had his own blog on the internet. it goes back several months to a year ago december, in which, among other things, he appears to talk about planning this attack out for many, many months. and we have an excerpt from an entry that he made on monday of

this week in which he says, quote, i need to work out every detail, there is only one shot. last time i tried this in january, i chickened out. let's see how this new approach works. maybe soon i will see god and jesus. also any of the practice papers left on my coffee table i used or the notes in my gym bag can be published freely, i will not be embarrassed because, well, i will be dead. and in fact, christi we learned that there was a note left behind according to the police chief, a note in the gym bag in which he was keeping the weapon or weapons he used allegedly in this attack. the police chief has not revealed what was in the note, however a law enforcement source tells me in it he expressed a hatred for women and that appears to be from this blog a recurring theme. so it's one of the things that we're chipping away at. i tried to talk to his mother who lives in this area so far

without success. we also went back to his house and talked to some neighbors and said that he hadn't talked to them in at least a year or two in some cases, take a look. >> when i was watching this last night on tv and they talked about the car, that's when i thought it might have been him. because that was his car. they were going through and just because he was just kinds of a strange person that seemed to, i don't know, just as i said lately since i hadn't seen him and things like that, i thought something weird was going on. >> reporter: and yet, according to his blog this was a man who was gainfully employed, in fact in his blog he worries about getting laid off but he wasn't. at one point he was talking about getting a promotion at work. so was he able to keep what he had in mind from the people with whom he worked?

that appears to be the case and that's another thing we're looking at and i know police are looking at that too. >> we see you standing in front of that fitness center. i'm sure a lot of people are wondering about the security at that center. how long did the shooting go on before someone was able to get in there? >> here's how he kbrgot in ther every member must present a key, one of those that has a upc code, and you swipe that and after that you're free to go inside the gym. we're not sure at this point whether he walked in the front or came in a rear door, but when he went n we understand according to eyewitnesses, he walked over to that aerobics class, mainly with women, he put the gym bag down, and took out one if not two weapons and started firing after turning out the lights.

there was pure pandemonium after that. >> we want to get back to lisa ling speaking about the release of her sister this morning. >> why not? >> because i'm going to let her tell the story. because i think there's probably more that we don't know about. >> do you know, was the release set up before bill went out there? i mean it all happened so fast. >> we don't know if it was actually orchestrated or not, we had a sense that the government had agreed to send president clinton for which we were grateful. but in terms of whether a release was predetermined, we don't know. [ inaudible ] >> yeah. >> one of the things that we

have -- she just did an amazing job, and he was sense that a visit from president clinton would be successful in securing their release and we had obviously -- and you know we're very, very grateful that they took that and obviously very happy that he went and he was able to secure their release. >> the experience was so harrowing, were you guys very proud of her as well to go through something like this, are you proud of your statement is th that -- proud of your sister that she was able to survive it? >> proud doesn't even start to state it. the little we have heard that she's been through in the last four months has been challenging for us to hear. and through it all she has maintained a sense of strength

and the way she was able to communicate to us by the phone of what she thought they needed to have happen was so incredible. again, she's my little sister, but she's a very, very strong girl, a very determined person and i'm just very, very proud of my sister. >> i know that you -- [ inaudible ] >> you know, i actually have always maintained faith that she would come home at some point. i didn't know when it was going to happen, i didn't expect it actually this soon. but we are nonetheless just absolutely thrilled. >> all right, you're looking at lisa ling there on the left and laura ling's husband on the right. they obviously -- and then on the right-hand side of your screen, the reunion of euna lee

and laura ling with their families after being held 125 days in north korea. lisa ling said the small bit she has heard from her sister after her sister's return about what she encountered being there in north korea has been hard for the family to hear. you can imagine how sensitive these conversations are to learn about what their sister and their daughter and their wives have been through. because obviously any correspondence or phone conversations they have had while they were there in north korea were probably monitored and they had to be worded very carefully, so now they're finally getting a full account. let's listen to laura husband's again, ian clayton. >> this house has been lonely for you? >> it was very lonely. one of the hardest things was actually coming home every night

and obviously there's so many reminders of her in the house. [ inaudible ] >> i didn't do a thing. >> he wouldn't let anyone do a thing. >> there were decisions that had to be made in conjunction with her. [ inaudible ] >> what's for dinner tonight. >> he's asked me the same question. but i hadn't thought that far ahead. >> whatever she wants for dinner. and we are, our families are just so-so grateful to all of the people, so many of whom don't know laura or euna or us who have volunteered their time and their energy and their support. this is kind of an unprecedented situation and we have completely

drawn support from so many people and we are especially appreciative of our government who really came to the rescue of laura and euna and president clinton and vice president gore, president obama and secretary of state clinton, we are forever endebted to them. >> what's that? >> i don't know, i mean -- >> movies, books, back to work? >> i have no idea, really. we'll have to see what she wants to do. and she just got back, so i think for a moment she's going to take it easy and relax and spends some time with her family and friends. >> we don't want to smother her, but at a certain point we have to leave her with ian and go our own way, but thank you all for your support. we really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> tender moments here as we're watching lisa ling there and laura ling's husband ian clayton

who has not seen his wife for at least 140 days, again as they have been held captive in north korea. and again, i just want to get back to that point where lisa ling was saying, it's been really hard for the family to hear laura recount what nay eve been through. and pointing out they have just heard small bits up to this point. so obviously stories that in detail there is still so much to hear, not just from the family, but from everybody else who is so interested in this story. lisa ling also mentioning that she has always maintained her faith, as did the families, but they didn't expect their sister or daughter or wife there to be allowed home so soon and obviously praising the administration and the work that president clinton did to secure the release of euna lee and laura ling. we're going to continue to follow this throughout the afternoon. i want to get to, though, the

cash for clunkers program. because if you haven't cashed in on it yet, you're likely to get another chance. senate leaders are hoping today or to tomorrow to pump an extra $2 billion into the program. >> we will pass cash for clunkers. >> when will you do that? >> before we leave here. >> two republicans leaders say they will not block the vote. a day and a half ago, they wouldn't have thought this was possible, that return home for the two american journalists sentenced to hard labor in north korea. you can't take your eyes off these pictures and we have more for you in a moment.

two russian submarines have been off the west coast for several dares. they haven't seen anything like it since the cold war. there's no reason for concern. the russian subs are hundreds of miles away in international water. also a radiant president mahmoud ahmadinejad has been sworn in for a second term, that is to say hundreds of protesters and police gathered outside the iranian parliament during the

ceremony you're looking at here. ahmadinejad criticized the united states and other countries for not congratulating him. let's get back to, boy, a reunion you just cannot take your eyes off today. a 140-day or deal in north korea, two american reporters are back on american soil and with their families. that's euna lee there and laura ling as she holds up her hands earlier this morning accompanied by former president clinton who negotiated her release. you were there, i understand when they arrived, thelma and i got to tell you, we were watching in the newsroom and in our morning meeting and i'll be really honest, there weren't a lot of dry eyes here, how about there? >> it was really interesting, christi.

especially when lisa or rather laura and euna got off the plane and they held their arms up in a sign of victory and then all of a sudden, you know, the camera pans over and you watch all the family members, family members tears in their eyes as they look at these two young women who they weren't sure they were going to see so soon. and then all of a sudden, the little girl, hannah, 4 years old goes up to her mother and hugs her mother after not seeing her for 140 days. that was the moment i can tell you, you heard a lot of sniffles montgomer among the reporters who were standing right behind me. to see it unfold so publicly, i think that was surprising. this family had not seen their loved ones in so much time and we had all wondered if they were going to have a private moment and yet it all played out right

in front of all of us. >> thelma, i'm sorry, we're out of time here, but we'll talk to you later. thank you so much, we appreciate the coverage and we appreciate your perspective. it remains one of nature's most mysterious and greatest kill killers. now a researcher -- >> infectious disease specialist thomas coaler is a mosquito hunter. he witnessed the horrors of mosquito born illnesses. >> i saw children dying of malaria. >> he has researched how to combat mosquitoes. mosquito nets provide some protection, but malaria is still killing 1 million people a year, mostly in africa. he was hoping the new flower shaped invention can help. >> attracts mosquitoes to feed

on a formulation that kills them. >> female biting mosquitoes generally live about a month. 100% of mosquitoes fed on the bait died within ten days. with the help of international relief organizations recently donated 3,000 to various communities in africa. >> he plans to return to africa this fall to distribute enough devices to kill another 2.5 billion mosquitoes. have you seen this yet? a poster popping up in a lot of places casts president obama as a clown. we're not just talking any clown here, that's the joker from the batman series. we'll tell you more in a moment. %

look at this, tears of absolute joy. euna lee seeing her 4-year-old daughter for the first time in four months. laura ling embracing her sister lisa ling. i have to be honest with you, regardless of how you feel about this situation politically, it was a tear jerker. i admit it, i have had tears in my eyes. >> absolutely, especially when you saw the daughter of euna lee run up to her mother as she walked down the stairs at the

airplane. it was a very emotional reunion for these two american jou journalists, these women who were held by north korea for about five months. after five long months t two just journalists detained in north korea are safely back on u.s. soil. >> it is what kept us going in the darkest of hours, it is what sustained our faith that we would come home. >> reporter: former president bill clinton met with leader kim jong-il tuesday and secured the release of laura ling and euna lee on humanitarian reunion tha seen on television is a source of happiness not only for the families but for the entire country. >> reporter: the two women were arrested four months ago while working tween north korea and

china. the journalists were sentenced in june to 12 years of hard labor on charges of entering the country illegally. an administration official says in july the women told their families that north korean officials might release them if someone like former president bill clinton would come to pyongyang. >> suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting. when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. >> and his wife, secretary of state hillary clinton from kenya this morning said the talks that went on to free these two journalists are totally separate and unrelated to efforts aimed at getting north korea to abandon it's nuclear program. >> a lot of people are wondering who orchestrated all of the behind the scenes negotiations for the last five months? i mean how involved was bill clinton in that or was he just

the less go get them guy? >> reporter: it sounds like former president clinton may have been the one to seal the deal, but a lot of negotiation, a lot of diplomacy was going on behind the scenes and like iran, the united states was relying on diplomats from other countries, in this case from switzerland to be in contact with the two journalists and also north korean officials to get the communication to a point where they were able to do something to free these two women. we also know that secretary of state hillary clinton was very actively involved as was the state department and also the obama administration. >> thank you so much samantha hayes for the update, we appreciate it. and as we continue to watch this reunion here, laura ling's sister, journalist lisa ling did speak with reporters just a few minutes ago. and talking about what her sister says happened when the two of them were arrested. >> you know, i haven't really talked specifics about, you

know, what actualliy lily lilyi that day. she will confirm that when they left china they never intended to cross the border. when you're a journalist and you're in the field, you never know what is going to arise and things can be unpredictable and whatever happened that day, i mean she'll tell you when she's ready to talk about it. but based on the limited knowledge that i have, i don't think they used poor judgment. >> we want to know what you think about the politics involved here. do you think that former president clinton's mission opens the door to better relations with north korea at this point? call us at 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln or text the word views to hlntv, standard text rates do apply. neighbors say the man who opened fire in a suburban

pittsburgh fitness club was anti-social and a loaner, that's how they describe it. police say 48-year-old george sodini walked into the l.a. fitness center last night and walked into a class and shot 50 rounds into the class after turning off the lights. at least one person who knew sodini said she had an inkling that he might have been responsible. >> when i was watching this last night on tv and they talked about the car, that's when i saw it might have been him. because of that's his car they were going through and just because he was just kind of a strange person that seemed to, i don't know, just as i said latelily siny lily since i hadnm i didn't know what was going on. >> apparently sodini kept a web page where he wrote about years

of being rejected by women. he also wrote about other plans of violence at this gym but said he chickened out. singer chris brown will be sentenced today for brutally beating his ex-girlfriend rihanna. he's expected to get five years of probation and community service. the judge may let him serve his probation in virginia, that's where he's from. but in june brown pleaded guilty to felony assault before a preliminary anywhere hearing where rihanna was supposed to testify. the search for a missing idaho boy has come to a very sad end here. a coroner has tentatively identified a body found in the canal as that of this little boy, 8-year-old robert manwill.

the coroner is still trying to determine what caused the boy's death. he vanished on july 24 on what police call suspicious circumstances. hundreds of people are still under evacuation orders because of this explosive fire. this is in michigan. it's mostly under control now, but, boy, was it raging yesterday at a fuel storage facility near flint. hu huge -- fire officials plan to knock down both of those buildings today. they think the fire may have started near an electric meter. paula abdul is leaving "american idol." she posted a twitter message saying "with sadness in my

heart, i've decided not to return to "idol." last month her manager told the los angeles times that producers hadn't offered her a new contract yet. the show's producers say abdul was an important part of "idol" family and they wish her the best. tonight, though find out the real story behind abdul's surprising departure. this has got a lot of people raising eyebrows. did she quit? was she let go? what does this mean for the hit show? watch "showbiz tonight" right here on hln. folks in kentucky are cleaning up after storms that set off flash flooding around louisville.

i know a lot of you there in louisville, kentucky are cleaning up today as we see those floodwaters finally recede for you. a storm stalled over the city and surrounding area dumping nearly a half foot of rain in less than three hours in some places and this is what it looked like. ireporter took photos at the university of louisville. he was able to get to work there, but there were emergency alerts about campus flooding and that the university had been shut down. he ventured out after the rain stopped to check out the damage and found all those cars half submerged on the city streets. thank you so much for sharing that, and if you have pictures or videos or breaking news of

cool stories around the world. go to ireport.com. a quebec dad says he's sorry, sort of, for letting his 7-year-old son drive the family car with the rest of the family in the back seat. the father insists no one was ever in danger here, but here's a video. it was shot two years ago, there's the rest of the family and a little one on the mom's lap in the back seat. this recently became a big hit on youtube. the boy is driving on a rural road. the father said he was proud of his son so he put it on the web to impress friends. but a lot of people are outraged about this and in fact police are investigating now. . a nice family camping trip takes a deadly turn. an ideal soccer mom was coming back from a nice wholesome week

celebrating with family and friends and she ends up hitting another car head on killing eight people, including her 2-year-old daughter and her three little nieces. tu turns out this perfect mother on the outside was intoxicated. this woman seems to have a serious problem. it's just another gut wrenching reminder that the face of alcohol and drug abuse is not what we think it is. alcohol and drug abuse knows no age, gender or economic status, even the perfect soccer mom can hide a secret. and tonight on "issues" we're going to take a look at this particular tragedy and the horrors of alcohol and drug abuse. i'm jane velez-mitchell and that's my issue. the district says it will

expand a pilot program that began last year at eight schools. the program found 13% of 3,000 students tested were infected with an std, most frequently gonorrhea or chlamydia. you know there's plenty of michael jackson's music to carry on the king of pop's legacy. who is bringing jackson back to the big screen?

it's good to have you with us today. if you haven't cashed in on cash for clunkers, you may get another chance. senate leaders plan to vote today or tomorrow on pumping another $2 billion into the program. >> we will pass cash for clunkers. >> when will you do that? >> before we leave here. >> do you think you have the votes for it? >> yes. >> without that money, cash for clunkers would end on friday. republican leaders say they will not block the vote. nearly four out of five americans say the u.s. health care system needs a major

overhaul, but only half think president obama has the right answer. a new cnn opinion research poll finds 77% of those surveyed say yeah, major change is needed. 5 77% favor the president's health care plan, but 45% do not. a wisconsin congressman? that's what he got, that ear full about the proposed health care overhaul. he's the latest lawmaker treated to shouts and jeers. kagan says both sides of the debate should be able to find some common ground. the father of a california national guard minnesoman says take down a tattered american flag until his son comes home.

his son put up that flag when he left for his third tour of duty in iraq 11 months ago and it will stay there until he returns safely. >> i don't see it as being disrespectful to the flag, i see it as keeping a promise to a son that you love and made a promise to him. >> corporal paul haros is due to return this week. the boston police offer suspended after sending a biting e-mail. justin barrett says the city violated his civil rights by causing him mental anguish and emotional distress. barrett sent an email that included a racial slur. boston's mayor and other officials have called for his

dismissal. appearing on "a.c. 360" last night. barrett reiterated his side of the story. >> i did not mean it to be offensive, i served my country, i volunteered to go to iraq and i served my city of boston. if i'm charged with a crime, i want the chance for a fair hearing, that's why i got my attorney. >> gates was arrested at his own home last month after a report of a possible particular burgla charge was later dropped. a construction company had to lay off all of their employees and has hired them all back. thank to a new business plan, he now has work for his former employees and even some new ones. >> i paid off better than just bringing our employees back, i have eight new people and when we're done we'll have 16 new people. >> it's a blessing that these

guys hired me and i'm grateful. >> he planned to hire even more people next month as well. love them or hate them, there'sthem, no denying popular shoes. but clark howard says the cross craze may be coming to an end. >> you know, the people who make crocs those cute little shoes that are so ugly that they're cute that really caught on with kids and kids of all ages, including adults. well, that company was hotter than it could possibly be just a couple years ago. selling them like mad. and, you know what, they they weren't hot any more. but in the meantime, the people who make crocs had expanded like crazy taking on a whole lot of overhead and now that they've gone from hot to not, they're just clinging on trying to survive. team lesson for you, if you are in your own business and suddenly demand starts to rise,

you want to grow gradually, no matter how much the order book looks tempting. be careful what overhead you take on because if you take on too much and sales suddenly aren't as strong, you could be on the ropes. i'm clark howard. for more advice from me go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> and watch clark every saturday and sunday at noon and 4:00 eastern right here on hln. a film of michael jackson's final rehearsals may be in theaters soon. concert promoter aeg live says it has more than 100 hours of footage as he prepared. columbia pictures is putting up $60 million for the right to the film. the deal was orchestrate would the executors of jackson's estate. on monday a los angeles judge is holding a hearing on the movie project and will ask jackson's mother, katherine, if she has any objections to this. critics are painting president obama as a clown.

we're not talking any old clown here. the joker, batman's archenemy. we'll tell you more about this in a moment. eseseseseseseseseses

a tearful return home for two american journalists held prisoner in north korea. a man opened fire at a health club in pittsburgh killing three women and then himself. evidence surfaced it was very well planned and it wasn't his first try. the chilling messages he left behind. from the top of the charts to picking up trash. why singer chris brown may have to leave the glamorous life behind for a while. hi, everybody. chuck roberts on a wednesday. two american journalists held in north korea since march. they arrived in burbank, california, today accompanied by

bill clinton who negotiated their release. their families were waiting and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. lee was overcome with emotion when she embraced her husband and her 4-year-old daughter. both women arrested in north korea back in march charged with entering the country illegally and they have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, but clinton convinced kim jong-il to pardon them. ling is grateful to everyone who supported her and lee during their ordeal. >> to our loved ones, friends, colleagues and to the complete strangers with the kindest of hearts who showed us so much love and sent us so many positive thoughts and energy. we thank you. we could feel your love all the way in north korea. it is what kept us going in the

darkest of hours. it is what sustained our faith that we would come home. >> lee and ling are employed by former vice president al gore media company current tv and gore thanked both the current and former president clinton and obama for bring them home. president obama watched the joyous reunion and he is thrilled that the women are home, safe and sound. >> i want to just make a brief comment about the fact that the two young journalists euna lee and laura ling are safely back with their families. we are, obviously, extraordinarily relieved. i had an opportunity to speak with the families yesterday. once we knew that they were on the plane, the reunion that we've all seen on television i think is a source of happiness, not only for the families, but for the entire country.

>> what do you think will come from this? opening the doors to better relations with north korea? what do you think? what is the result of this? call us toll free, 877-835-5456. e-mail at cnn.com/hln or just text views plus your comments and name to hlntv. we'll air your responses throughout the day standard text rates apply. neighbors who say the man who opened fire at a suburban pittsburgh gym was 48 and a loaner. george sodini walked into l.a. fitness center and shot around 50 round. three women killed, ten people hurt before the gunman killed himself. witnesses say they couldn't believe what was going on. >> what happened was is they were in a pilates class or something like that and they turned the lights out and all of a sudon the shooting started. >> he shut the lights off in the

aerobic room and i could see flashes in the dark and that's when i realized that someone was actually using a firearm inside of there. >> it was pretty intense. at first you couldn't get a chance to think about it because it happened so fast. when you realized when you were outside what happened and there were people shot and bleeding, it was a lot to take in. >> what makes the rampage even more chilling, apparently it wasn't sodini's first attempt. he planned a similar rampage in january but backed out. he didn't go through with it. in an entry dated january 6th, he wrote it is 6:40 p.m. about an hour and a half to go. god have mercy. i wish life could be better for all and the crazy world could somehow run smoother. i wish i had answers, bye. later that night he wrote this. it's 8:45 p.m., i chickened out i brought the loaded guns, everything. hell. an entry dated two days ago reads this way. i took off today monday and tomorrow to practice my routine

and make sure it's well polished. i need to work out every detail. there is only one shot. six men accused of plotting terror attacks overseas will stay in custody until their trial. a federal judge in north carolina issued the ruling for no bail as he expressed skepticism against the man. the hearing for a seventh suspect has been postponed because he has a new attorney. all seven conspiracy to commit murder abroad and an eighth suspect has not been arrested. a search for a missing idaho boy has come to a tragic end. the coroner in boise tentatively identified that as the body of robert manwill. dental records are being evaluated to make it a positive i.d. the coroner is still trying to determine the cause of death. again, he vanished on the 24th of july under what police call suspicious circumstances. he was visiting his mother at the time. detechives say finding the body is the beginning of a brand-new investigation.

nancy grace is all over break diagnose tails. she's taking your calls. don't miss it tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern. a new york mother was extremely drunk and had been smoking pot when she caused a deadly wrong way crash. diane shuller and four kids in her van were all killed when she drove head on into an suv on a crowded freeway. three adults in the vehicle were also killed. toxicology tests revealed schuller had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit and police found a broken bottle of vodka in her wrecked van. she must have had ten drinks before getting behind the wheel and was probably drinking while driving. singer chris brown may soon find himself picking up trash on the side of the road. he will be sentenced today for brutally beating his ex-girlfriend, rihanna. he will get six months community service like roadside cleanup or graffiti removal. he may serve his probation in

virginia, where he's from. in june chris brown pleaded guilty to felony assault just before a preliminary hearing where rihanna was expected to testify. the former couple never faced each other at the hearing. as brown left the courtroom from one door rihanna entered from a different direction. paula abdul is leaving the "american idol." in a twitter message she said with sadness in her heart she decided not to return. she will miss not being part of the show. she helped from day one becoming a an international phenomenon. producers had not given her a contract proposal. show auditions start tomorrow. fox and show producers say abdul is an important part of "american idol." over the last eight seasons, it goes on to say they wish her the best. president obama trying to build some economic confidence today. the message he wants to bring to a region where jobs have been very hard to come by. a live report from indiana. don't go away.

it breaks down this way. almost four out of five americans say health care needs a major overhaul, but only think the president is on the right track. that is from the latest cnn research poll just out. 77% of those surveyed say major change is needed. but the country is just about split on the president's proposals. 50% favor, 45% do not. meanwhile, the president's on the road again trying to persuade americans that his economic agenda is working. today he is in northern indiana to announce a stimulus plan that has provided $2.4 billion in taxpayer grants to create electric cars, tens of thousands of jobs to go along with them. ed henry is traveling with president obama and has the very latest. hi? >> the president promoting those electric vehicles, not just cars, but also trucks. some of the rvs behind me, the recreational vehicle. this is really the rv capital of the world in northern indiana. it's been wrecked in part because of the fact that the

reseg has hit so hard. people don't have money necessarily for vacations, yet alone these very expensive vehicles. we've seen unemployment in this general area get as bad as 19%. that is, obviously, more than double the national average. and bottom line is that the president has returned to elkhart time and time again to try and renew his commitment to this area saying that he wants to rebuild the economy, not just in the short term, but the long term and make sure they're not just making the same vehicles over and over and just tie it into those one things that it can easily go bust. he also promised this would bring american jobs so the u.s. cannot give in right now. >> even in the hardest times against the toughest sides, we have never surrendered. we don't give up. we don't surrender our faith to chance, we have always endured. we have worked hard and we have fought for our future. our parents had to fight for their future, our grandparents

had to fight for their future. that's the tradition of america. this country wasn't built just by griping and complaining. it was built by hard workers and taking risks. and that's what we have to do today. >> now, i have spoken to some owners of rv dealerships here and spoken to the local mayor and what they say is that things are actually getting better. they say that the stimulus has helped a bit. about $14 million already pumped in from the federal government to this area. and now 19% now dip down around 16%, so it has got analytal better but, obviously, far worse than the national average of 19.5% and that's why you have republicans back in washington saying the stimulus has helped on the margins, but has not provided the jolt to the economy that the president really promised, chuck. >> the rv industry so sensitive, gas prices, too, you have to imagine that. talk about health care. how is the president keeping the

momentum for reform when congress is taking a month off? >> good question, we'll see a lot of him on the road, not just here in indiana, but a swing out west, as well. all about the president trying to recapture some of the momentum that stalled. the house and the senate missed those august deadlines of reporting out legislation that he so desperately pushed for. i think, obviously, now, when you have all those town hall meetings and a lot of back and forth about what is the right plan and the best way to go. the president has to get out of washington and hit the ground and try to push back and explain why he thinks his plan is the best way to go. he hasn't give an lot of specifics yet. i think when i'm out in the country traveling with him i hear from people, democrats, as well as republicans, and some of his democratic allies. he has to get more specific about what this means for everyone. what health reform will mean to people's pocketbooks. they're craving more answers, chuck. >> has the white house reacted at all to what seemed like

pretty coordinated attacks at these town hall meetings as congressman tried to defend health care reform? >> well, they've been trying to say that this is being generated by republican groups and it's really not spontaneous. i mean, it's hard to tell. a lot of allegations flying back and forth, but what i hear from a lot of democrats in and around the white house is that they think that this is being pushed by republican groups and it's not really a grassroots effort. a lot of republicans, i tell you, out in the parking lot outside this event when i first drove in earlier today they had signs up saying some of the people who are protesters saying, i'm not paid by anyone. i'm against obama care. so, there are people at the grassroots level saying, look, we're not paid by anyone, we're just opposed to the president's plan. >> ed henry, thanks. in louisville, residents are cleaning up as flood waters begin to recede. a storm stalled over that city and surrounding area and dumped a half foot of rain in less than three hours.

these photos sent in by jaces at the university of louisville. the university had been shut down. jasinkski ventured out after the rain and checked out the damaged and found cars half submerged. sidewalks covered in mud. our thanks for that great i-report. if you have pictures or videos of breaking news, do like that, go to ireport.com and look for the upload now link and submit your entry. a proud father posted a video of his young boy so everybody could watch the boy's accomplishments but instead of praise the response was outrage. what the dad says about letting his 7-year-old drive the family around.

two russian nuclear subs may have been patrolling the east coast for the last several days. they have not seen anything like this since the cold war, but there's no reason for concern, they say. the russian subs are hundreds of miles away in international watters and the u.s. had advance intelligence that they were coming. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad has been sworn in for a second term. witnesses say hundreds of protesters and police gathered outside the iranian parliament building during the ceremony after taking the oath, ahmadinejad criticized the u.s. and other western countries for not congratulating him. he also called for unity. the widely disputed presidential

election led to deadly clashes between protesters and police in iran. if you haven't cashed in or cash for clunkers yet, you'll likely get another chance because senate leaders hope to vote today or tomorrow on pumping another $2 billion into the program. majority leader harry reid said it will pass. >> cash for clunkers, we'll pass cash for clunkers. >> when will you do that? >> before we leave here. >> you think ask you the votes for it? >> yes. >> cash for clunkers would eventually perhaps end friday. republican leaders say they will not block this vote. a quebec dad said he's sorry, sort of, for letting his 7-year-old son drive the family car with the rest of the family in the back seat. the father insists nobody was ever in danger. this is video shot from two years ago, but just arrived on youtube and it's a huge hit. the boy is seen driving on a rural road and it's obviously in the rain. there are the wipers going. the father said he was proud of his boy, he put it on the web to

impress his friends, but a lot of outrage. police in quebec are investigating. u.s. military is updating its facebook status. drafting new policy on facebook, myspace and twitter. they have banned networking sites, though they allow troops to access them from their own personal computer. a pentagon spokesman is to have a new policy by the end of september that allows branches of the military to take advantage of the sites without compromising military security. tests for sexually transmitted diseases, stds, will now be offered add all high schools in washington, d.c. the district says it will expand a pilot program that began last year at eight schools. the program found 13% of 3,000 students tested were infected with an std. most frequently gonorrhea or chlamydia. the city is trying to reduce its aids rate which is the highest in the nation. love him or hate them, there is no denying crocs are popular

shoes. but the crocs craze may be coming to an end. >> you know, the people who make crocs, those cute little shoes that are so ugly that they're cute that really caught on with kids and kids of all ages, including adults. well, that company was hotter than it could possibly be just a couple years ago. selling them like mad. and, you know what, then they weren't hot any more. but in the meantime, the people who make crocs had expanded like crazy taking on a whole lot of overhead. and now that crocs went from hot to not, they're just clinging on trying to survive. key lesson for you, if you are in your own business and suddenly demand starts to rise, you want to grow gradually no matter how much the order book looks tempting, be careful the overhead you take on, if you take on too much and sales

suddenly aren't as strong, you could be on the ropes. i'm clark howard for more advice from me, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> and don't forget clark on the weekends. great consumer advice saturdays and sundays noon and 4:00. he will help you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. which do you think would cost more, buy agnew house or having a child? a new government report concludes it will cost you $221,000 to raise a daughter or son. that estimate based on a average middle income family who had a child during 2008. families with higher incomes will spend more and lower income families will spend less. the report calculates everything from food to housing, but it stops at 17, so college tuition is not factored in. two american journalists held prisoner in north korea are overjoyed to be back on u.s. soil and reunited with their loved ones. we want to hear from you. what is the legacy of this? what is the lesson? will their release open the door

to better relations with north korea? we are asking your views and we're going to get them. just ahead.

the nightmare ends for two american journalists who have been held in north korea since march. euna lee and laura ling have arrived in america. their families were waiting and there wasn't a dry eye in the airport hangar when they arrived. lee was overcome to embrace her husband and 4-year-old daughter. they were charged with entering the country illegally. they had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, but clinton convinced north korean leader kim jong-il to pardon them.

>> to our loved ones, friends, colleagues and to the complete strangers with the kindest of hearts who showed us so much love and cept us so many positive thoughts and energy. we could feel your love all the way in north korea. it is what kept us going in the darkest of hours. it is what sustained our faith that we would come home. >> lee and ling are employed by former vice president al gore's media company, current tv. he thanked clinton and president obama for helping bring them home. the president watched all this, that is the current president on tv at the white house, of course. he said he's relieved the women are now back home. >> i want to just make a brief comment about the fact that the

two young journalists, euna lee and laura ling are safely back with their families. we are, obviously, extraordinarily relieved and had an opportunity to speak with the families yesterday and once we knew that they were on the plane. the reunion that we've all seen on television i think is a source of happiness, not only for the families, but for the entire country. >> we would like to know what your thoughts are about this. do you think the clinton mission opens the door to better relations with north korea, for example. call us toll free, 877-tel 877-tell-835-5456. or text the words and comment and name to hlntv. what is the end result to all this? neighbors say the man who oep oened fire at a suburban pittsburgh gym was anti-social

and a loaner. 48-year-old george sodini walked into the l.a. fitness center and turned off the lights and shot about 50 rounds, mostly aiming at women. three women were killed and at least ten people hurt before the gunman killed himself. witnesses say they couldn't believe what was going on. >> what happened was is they were in a pilates class or something like that and they turned the lights out and all of a sudon the shooting started. >> he shut the lights off in the aerobic room and by the time i realized what was going on, i looked at the aerobic room and i saw flashes in the dark. i saw someone was using a firearm inside of there. >> pretty intense and you get a chance to think about it because it happened so fast and then you realized what happened outside you saw the people running around and people that were shot and bleeding. you know, it was a lot to take in. >> what makes the rampage more chilling was not his first attempt and entries in his diary showed he planned a similar rampage in january and never

went through with it. january 6th, it is 6:40 p.m., about an hour and a half to go. god have mercy. i wish life could be better for all and the crazy world could somehow run smoother. i wish i had answers, bye. later that night, he wrote it's 8:45 p.m. and i chickened out expletive. i brought the loaded guns, everything. hell. then an entry from only two days ago reads, i took off today, monday and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it's well polished. i need to work out every detail and there's only one shot. six men accused of plotting terrorist attacks overseas will stay in custody, pending their trial. today a federal judge issued their trial for no bail although expressed some skepticism about the charges against the men. the hearing for a seventh suspect has been postponed because he has a new attorney. all seven face charges of conspiracy to commit murder abroad. iran's president, mahmoud

ahmadinejad recently re-elected has been sworn for a four-year term. hundreds of protesters and police gathered outside the parliament building after this ceremony. ahmadinejad criticized the u.s. and other western countries for not congratulating him. he also called for unity. the widely disputed presidential election led to deadly clashes between protesters and police in rayen. president obama today visiting an rv plant in northern indiana to promote his stimulus plan. he announced $2 billion in grant money to create electric cars and create thousands of jobs. deputy political director paul stein houser is now live from washington with more on this. >> barack obama is no stranger to elkhart, indiana, that's where he went today and it is known as the rv manufacturing capital of the world and the president making that announcement on the grant there. the president first visited elkhart soon after taking over in the white house as one of his first stops outside of washington. he went there back in early

february to fight for and push for the economic stimulus, which he said would jump start the economy. the president today says that fight to boost the economy is not over. take a listen. in places like elkhart and detroit and pittsburgh, south bend, youngstown and cities and towns across indiana and across the midwest and across the country that have been the back bone of america. it will be won by making places like elkhart what they once were and that is entrepreneurship and ingenuity and opportunity. >> chuck, no stranger during his campaign for the white house, he was there. >> how do americans feel about it? >> americans seem to be divided over the president's proposals for health care reform. look at these brand-new numbers today. a national poll, you can see 50%

favre the president's health care proposals and 45% are oppose them. now, the poll also shows, chuck, that americans really seem to be divided. take a look at these numbers, as well. only three in ten say they think the president's health care plan would help their family, another 44% think it will help others and one out of five, chuck, say no one will be held by the president's poll. the poll also shows overall that americans are pretty happy with the plans they currently have. >> whether americans understand what the proposals are, are they into the details at all? >> americans are getting pretty savvy, they are hearing a lot, but there is no one plan. that is the problem here. the president has broad proposals and different plans in the house and is the senate, there is some confusion out there, chuck. >> paul, thank you, appreciate it. a soldier's flier is flying a tattered american flag. hear why taking it down would

break a promise to his boy on hln news and views.

two russian nuclear subs have been patrolling off the east coast for several days. u.s. officials tell the associated press they have not seen anything like this since the cold war, but there's no reason for concern. the russian subs are hundreds of miles away in international waters and the u.s. did have advance intelligence they were coming. it's likely most of us feel a certain degree of helplessness while trying to lodge a complaint against a massive company, but the power may shift to the little guy and cnn.com melissa long is here to explain how. melissa? >> the power shifting to the little guy if people choose social networking to air their complaints and gripe rather than

picking up the phone and calling customer service. it's essentially the stories about power to the people via something like twitter and this story is one of the more popular today on cnn.com. people answer that customer service lines may not have the real expertise in the product or the authority to really help. so, more and more people are saying, you know what, i am going to post my problem online through twitter. companies are paying attention. they're mindful of the damage just a single negative post can do. >> that puts the onus then on someone from the company to get back to me. so, it changes the dynamic instead of me being at the whim of the company, they are now having to respond to my now more powerful voice. >> the person from the company could be a senior employer who's in a better position to address the problem, resolve the issue and at the same time, the draw back is that you don't know who you are dealing with, anybody can say they're a customer rep

and they may not, in fact, be one. >> that's kind of scary, that's absolutely true, though. from a new way to air your beef to a different way to get your beef. >> different way to serve dinner to yourself and your loved ones. growing concern about where the meat, where so many products are before they end up in our kitchens. concerns about hormones in products for buying, chemicals in products for buying and animal cruelty, as well. this story is about this about going directly to the source and this story one of our most popular stories doing business actually with the farm before you actually go to the store. so, you could buy your meat, your dairy, your veggies from a local farm, from a local grower. it's a concept that's catching on. it's called community supported agriculture. local customers pay in advance from what they can get for that individual farm and usually the farm where the consumers know what they're fed and what they're not fed, which is just as important and the farmers will benefit because this is a

new business opportunity and the food has been packed up from the farm and delivered in person, delivered in person from the customers. people who are buying into this community and they say the taste is very clear. one man says that he and his friends did blind taste testing just to see what would happen and the farm fresh beef, this person said was "so much better." >> i bet free range chicken tastes better, too. certainly vine ripened tomatoes. >> you're making me hungry. >> melissa, good to see you. the father of a california national guardsmen insists he won't take down a tattered american flag until his son comes home. some people in his fresno neighborhood said this is disrespectful of torn up flag and his son put up the flag when his son left for his tour of duty in iraq and that was 11 months ago and it will stay there until he comes home safely. >> i don't see it as being disrespectful to the flag. i see it as keeping a promise to

a son that you love and made a promise to. >> corporal paul harris is due home this week. his father says everybody will know it because there will be a new flag flying. talk about the perfect wedding present why a perfect stranger gave dresses to a bride and her bridesmaids for free.

i'm jane velez-mitchell a nice fampally camping trip takes a deadly turn. an ideal soccer mom was coming back from a nice, wholesome weekend and, boom, all of a sudden, she ends up driving the wrong way on a highway hitting another car head on killing eight people. eight! including her 2-year-old daughter and her three little nieces. turns out this perfect mother on the outside was actually severely intoxicated and, according to cops, high on marijuana. even reports that a bottle of absolute vodka was found near the wreckage. this woman seems to have had a serious problem. just another gut wrenching

reminder that the face of alcohol and drug abuse is not who we like to think it is. alcohol and drug abuse knows no race, age, gender or economic status. even the perfect-looking, happy soccer mom can hide a toxic secret and tonight on issues, we'll take a hard look at this particular tragedy and the horrors of alcohol and drug abuse. i'm jane velez-mitchell and that's my issue. >> don't miss jane velez-mitchell every week night right here. the search for an ohio boy comes to a tragic end. they identified the 8-year-old boy as robert manwill. the coroner is trying to determine the cause of death. he vanished july 24th about 9:00 in the evening under what police call suspicious circumstances. he was visiting his mother at the time. detective say finding the body is the beginning of a brand-new investigation. nancy grace has all the late-breaking details of this late disappearance. robert manwill has been found in a canal.

she is taking your calls and don't miss it tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern. singer chris brown may soon found himself picking up trash alongside the road. he may be sentenced today for brutally beating his ex-girlfriend pop star rihanna. he will get six months to community service like roadside cleanup or graffiti rumoval and the judge may let him serve his probation in virginia, where he's from. chris brown pleaded guilty to felony assault just before a preliminary hearing where rihanna was expected to testify. the former couple never faced each other at the hearing as brown left the courtroom through one door she entered through a different direction. paula abdul is leaving "american idol" in a twitter message she disclosed that "with a sadness in her heart, she has decided not to return. she said she'll miss being part of a show she helped from day one become an international phenomenon. last month her manager told the "l.a. times" that they had not offered her a new contract."

show auditions begin tomorrow. paula abdul has been an important part of "american idol" over the last eight seasons. it goes on to say that they wish her the best. the boston cop suspended for using a racial slur in an e-mail is suing the force and the city's mayor. justin barrett said the city violated his civil and due process rights causing him pain and suffering and mental anguish and emotional disstres. it all started with an e-mail in henry louis gates arrest. appearing on "ac 360" on our sister network cnn last night, barrett insisted he doesn't deserve to get sacked. >> i composed the e-mail, i did not mean it to be offensive. i apologized and i have served my country. i volunteered to go to iraq and i served my city of boston and if i'm charged with the crime, i want the chance to answer. i want the chance for a fair hearing, that's why i got my attorney. >> of course, you know professor

gates was arrested last month in cambridge, his own home after police got a report of a possible break in. a national debate about race and profiling. live pictures in from the houston pictures in from the houston area. khou is reporting an overturned fire truck in the northern part of harris county. it shut down a road just east of cooken daal and you can see it, i think, yeah, at the top of the screen, you can see it. they say a chemical leak at the accident site has forced the evacuation of a nearby shopping center on the north side of houston. here's some good news in a bad economy. a construction company that had to lay off all employees earlier this year has hired them all back. the owner says he let people go because the business had dried up, thanks to a new business plan, he now has work for his former employees and some new ones. >> paid off better than just bringing our employees back. have i eight new people. when we're done, we'll have 16 new people. >> it's a blessing that these

guys hired me, and i'm grateful. >> he hopes to hire even more people next month. police stormed a factor where hundreds of laid off autoworkers were laid off, this is video from south korea. commandos made their surprise innocence lowered from a helicopter in shipping containers. the workers were camped out at the car factory. that he have been there for at least two months since the layoff. they fought back with sticks. two people were hurt. we're all feeling the pinch in a shaky economy but there's help. money expert clark howard is around to help. logon to cnn.cook/clark and submit an i-report that could be selected to be profiled and you could get valuable advice from america's money coach. a father posts a video that shows his 7-year-old boy behind the wheel of a family car with mom in the back seat. nobody's wearing seat belts. it's raining. why he says he decided to put this on the web and what reaction is from police.

a tearful touching reunion. return home for two american journalists held prisoner north korea. what they are saying now about their ordeal. also, a man opened fire at a health club killing three women and himself. now evidence surfaces it was well planned and that it wasn't his first try. chilling messages he left behind will have plus, what do you do when window washers get stuck 30 plus stories in the air? we're going to tell you what firefighters came up with. happy hump day on this wednesday. thank you so much for keeping me company. i'm christi paul here at hln with news and views." i'll admit it, it was a tear jerker.

the nightmare over for two american journalists held in north korea since march. we're talking about laura ling and euna lee whom you see there with her 4-year-old daughter she hasn't seen in five months. they arrived in california today accompanied by former president clinton who negotiated their release. their families were wait. not a dry eye in the place not even here when they got off the plane. ling looked overjoyed to see hire her husband, and lee you can see here, just really overcome and really focused on her 4-year-old daughter as she embraced her daughter hannah and her husband. both women were arrested in north korea in march, charged with entering the country illegally. they'd been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor but clinton convinced north korean leader kim jong-il to pardon them. >> 30 hours ago, euna lee and i were prisoners in north korea. we feared that at any moment, we

could be sent to a hard labor camp. and then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting. we were taken to a location and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. >> ling says she's grateful to everyone who had supported her and lee during their ordeal. >> to our loved ones, friends, colleagues, and to the complete strangers with the kindness of hearts who showed us so much love and sent us so many

positive thoughts and energy, we thank you. we could feel your love all the way in north korea. it is what kept us going in the darkest of hours. it is what sustained our faith that we would come home. >> lee and ling are employed by former vice president al gore's media company, current tv and gore thanked clinton and president obama for bringing them home. president obama watched this reunion on television as most of us did here. he says he's relieved the women are now back home. >> we've all seen on television, i think, is a source of happiness not only for the families but for the entire country. i want to thank president bill clinton. i had a chance to talk to him for the extraordinary humanitarian effort resulted in the release of the two journalists. i want to thank vice president

al gore who worked tirelessly in order to achieve a positive outcome. >> so we want to know what you think about this. does former president clinton's mission open the door to better relations with north korea? give us a call at 1-877-tell-hln or click on cnn.com/hln. text it to the word your views, your comments, your name to hlntv. thank you so much. we love to hear from you. president obama's on the road, in fact, today trying to drive home the theme "made in america." he spoke at a recreational vehicle factory in northern indiana. that region has one of the worst unemployment rates in the nation. he promoted a $2.4 billion program of taxpayer grants provided by his stimulus plan to michigan would benefit the most from the grants. >> the battle for america's

future will be fought and won in places like elkhart, and detroit, goshen, and pittsburgh, south bend, youngstown, in cities and towns across indiana and across the midwest and across the country that have been the backbone of america. it will be won by making places like elkhart what they were once and ancan be again, and that's centers of innovation and entrepreneurship and engenuity and opportunity. >> the area where the president spoke had an unemployment rate of 16.8% in june. that's up 10 percentage points just from last year. you can imagine what those folks are going through. neighbors say the man who opened fire at this suburban pittsburgh gym was anti-social and a loner. that's how they describe him. george sodini walked into the l.a. fitness center last night, turned off the lights and shot about 50 rounds. three women were killed. at least ten people hurt before

he killed himself. witnesses couldn't believe what was going on. >> what happened was is they were in a pilates class or something like that and they turned the lights out and all of a sudden, the shooting started. >> he shut the lights off in the room and by i timecy realized what was going on, i could see flashes in the dark and that's when the i realized that someone was using a firearm inside of there. >> it was pretty intense, you know. you didn't get a chance to think about it at first because it happened so first. once you realized once you were outside what happened, you saw the people the running around and there were people shot and bleeding, it was a lot to take in. >> still is even today. here's what makes the rampage for chilling. it apparently wasn't his first attempt. entries in a diary he kept shows he planned a similar rampage in january but didn't have the guts to go through with it. in an entry dated january 6th he wrote? it is 6:40 p.m., about hour and

a half to go. god have mercy. i wish life could be better for all and the crazy world can somehow run sooner. later that night he wrote it's 8:45 p.m. i chickened out expletive. i've brought the loaded guns, everything, hell. then an entry dated two days ago says "i took off today, monday and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it's well polished. i need to work out every detail. there's only one shot." obviously we'll keep you posted on this and expecting a press conference just about 20 minutes. a new york mother was extremely drunk and had been smoking pot when she caused a deadly wrong way crash. diane schuler and four kids were killed when she drove head on into an suv. toxicology tests found she had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit and police found a broken bottle of vodka in the wrecked van.

investigators say she must have had about ten drinks before getting behind the wheel and probably drinking while driving. chris brown may soon find himself picking up trash on the side of the road. he'll be sentenced today for beating rihanna. he's expected to get five years probation and six months of community service such as roadside cleanup or graffiti removal. the judge may let him serve the probation in virginia. in june, he pleaded guilty to felony assault before a preliminary hearing where rihanna was expected to testify. they never faced each other at that hearing as brown left the courtroom through one door, rihanna entered from a different direction. the search for a missing idaho boy has come to such a sad end here. a coroner has tentatively identified a body found in a canal as that of this little boy, -year-old robert manwill. dental records are being evaluated to make a positive i.d. official. the coroner is still trying to

determine what caused the boy's death. he varnished july 24th under what police are calling suspicious circumstances. he was visiting his mother at the time. detectives say finding the body though prompts a whole new investigation at this point. and the boston police officer who was suspended for using a racial slur in an e-mail is suing the force and the city's mayor. justin barrett says the city violated his civil and due process rights, causing him pain and suffering, mental anguish and emotional distress. it all started about harvard professor henry gates arrest. in it, he used a racist term in references to gates. barrett insisted he doesn't deserve to get sacked. >> i composed the e-mail. i did not mean it to be offensive. i apologized and i've served my country. i volunteered to go to iraq. i served my city of boston. if i'm charged with a crime, i want the chance to answer.

i want the chance for a fair hearing. that's why i got my attorney. >> of course, you know professor gates was arrested last month at his own home after police received a report of a possible burglary. the incident prompted a national debate, of course, about race. boston firefighters have rescued now two window washers who got trapped 37 stories up. look at that. can you imagine? the fire department says the platform got stuck while they were working on a building in downtown boston. firefighters had to break a couple windows to get them to safety. the rescuers kept pedestrians away from the building to make sure the falling glass didn't hurt anyone. the department says neither worker was seriously hurt but one was taken to the hospital for evaluation. proud father. posted a video of his young son so everyone could watch the boy's accomplishments. instead of praise, he's hearing outrage. what the dad says about letting his 7-year-old drive the whole family around.

a que quebec dad says he's sorry sort of for letting his 7-year-old son drive the family car with the rest of the family in the back seat, people. the father insists no one was ever in danger but the video was shot two years ago and recently became a big hit on youtube. even a little little kid sitting on mom's lap in the back seat. the boy is driving on a rural road, at least that's what it looks likes in the video. his father says he was proud of his son so he put it on the web to impress friends. but a lot of people are outraged over it and police are even investigating now. if you haven't cashed in on cash for clunkers, it looks like you'll get another chance. senate leaders hope to vote today or tomorrow on pumping an extra $2 billion into this program. majority leader harry reid insists it will pass. >> cash for clunkers will pass

cash for clunk errs. >> when will you do that? >> before we leave here. >> do you think you have the votes? >> yes. >> without more money the white house says it would end friday in two days. republican leaders say they will not block the vote. staggering job losses in the auto industry have made michigan's unemployment rate the highest in the country. advanced battery technology could be among the keys to detroit's comeback though. and today apparently there's help on the way. cnnmoney.com's poppy harlow has been watching this for us from new york. >> you said it exactly right. help on the way to the tune of $2.4 billion in grants from the government for building electric cars and the batteries that power them. michigan is getting a huge chunk of that. actually the biggest of any state. michigan is getting over $1 billion to split between 11 different projects across the state. this news just coming out this afternoon as vice president biden was in detroit naming the winners for those grants.

they include, of course, the big three, gm, chrysler and forward, a number of smaller companies and some universities working on battery research, as well. that's an interesting note. in michigan, setting its sites on become the world leader in building and developing batteries for electric cars. the goal here not surprising, create jobs, create good jobs, well-paying jobs and a lot of them. take a listen. >> it's expected they will be able to create here in your state 19,000, not jobs flipping burgers, 19,000 high-paying decent jobs with benefits that allow you to be able to live the way you live. >> on top of that federal money being awarded today, that is welcome news in michigan. the state christi has also set aside more than $700 million in tax credits to battery maker who's decide to set up shop in the state and bring more jobs. >> you hope it, would because

betting on batteries assumes the electric car is going to catch on and that americans would buy it. >> it does. there are a lot of roadblocks. namely, it's the price, right? these could be very expensive cars at first. a rumored price tag on gm, chevy volt about $40,000 there. you've got the issue of where do you charge these cars. there are not charging stations on every corner and most people don't have chargers in their garage, for example. we may be seeing a paradigm shift in the cars people buy. the reason i say that is initial data in from cash for clunkers shows us that 83% of the vehicles traded in have been trucks and suvs and 60% have been traded in for much smaller, more fuel efficient cars. a paradigm shift, not just traded in for smaller trucks or suvs. you see the list of the top sellers in the program so far. this shows sus even though gas prices are down from last summer's high, fuel efficiency among buyers is still a top concern. that's good news for people

betting on the electric car. we want to know, would you really buy an electric car, too expensive? let us know facebook.com/poppyhar low. edita says i would. other people say i don't think so. let me know what you think. >> thank you so much. fans of "american idol" you're not going to be seeing one of the original judges next season. yes, it's true. paula abdul is out. a.j. hammer has the scoop about the shocking shake-up on news and views next. stay close.

well, talk about a jaw droerp today from "american idol." the show is losing one of its iconic judges. a.j. hammer with us now from new york. come on, this was a shock. yes? >> yeah, can you not feel the cosmic shift in the universe that occurred since this all went down? it went down in an interesting way. by all accounts, paula abdul released the information not only to the world at large but the folks at "american idol" through twitter. let me read what she said on her twitter page. she certainly did that. the folks from "american idol" reacting very swiftly after paula sent out that tweet last night. here's what "idol" is saying and the folks who produce the show --

so christi, it looks like this, in fact, is a done deal. it looks like paula abdul who has been on the show since the beginning will not be returning to "american idol" as auditions are about to begin. >> a lot of people are looking at this, is this genuine or a publicity stunt. >> wow, what a brilliant stunt to generate attention for "american idol" and paula. if that was what was going on. we were talking about potential posturing going on in the media by her management as they were trying to negotiate a deal. there's been a lot of back and forth between the "idol" folks and paula. apparently she didn't like the last offer. maybe she didn't feel she was getting respect she deserved and decided to walk away from it. i would say, ryan seacrest talking on his radio show today as far as he knows this is real.

i would say not a publicity stunt. this is the real deal. >> you have to wonder how this is going to impact the show. i think a lot of people probably watched because of her. >> i would say the show is not going to be as interesting anymore. certainly paula brought, i hate to use the cliche but a je ne sai qua. it was part of the big picture of the show, not just a talent show but the chemistry between the judges. like a sideshow every week. the truth is, the show will go on and will still be successful. a lot of people may not watch as a result but it's not as if 10 people are suddenly going to walk away. >> it makes you wonder, i wonder what she's got up her sleeve. >> the rumor was it was a potential $10 million over three years deal on the table. you've got to wonder what she has in mind. i think she'll be fine. she's got her jewelry business and maybe we'll see her on so you think you can dance." tonight, plenty more on paula's "idol" shocker, real reasons behind why she quit and who

replace her if they're going to keep a fourth judge. see you at 11:00 p.m. tonight. >> we've been following two american journalists held prisoner in north korea and they're reunited of their families today.

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police describe a horrific scene at a health club outside pittsburgh last night. they say a gunman identified as 48-year-old george sodini, walked into a gym, turned off the lights, and opened fire. three women were killed in the hail of bullets before investigators say he killed himself. police are about to update us on that investigation. and as soon as they step up to the podium, we will bring that to you live. but here's part of what makes this even more chilling. there is i have had that this wasn't sodini's first attempt. entries in diary he kept shows he planned a similar rampage back in january but didn't go through with that one. an entry dated january 6th, he

wrote -- and then later that night, he wrote -- and then an entry dated just two days ago says -- but again, we're waiting for a press conference from law officials there. and as soon as they step up to the mic, we'll go there live for you. meanwhile, it was one of those reunions you couldn't take your eyes off of. the nightmare over for two american journalists held in north korea since march. that's laura ling there with her sister lisa and also unalee, they arrived in california today accompanied by former president

bill clinton who negotiated their release. their families as you can see waiting and there was not a dry eye in the place when they got off that plane. ling looked overjoyed to see her husband, parents and her sister. here comes bill clinton. he stayed on the plane for several minutes while he gave the girls the reporters a chance to reunite with their families here. here he's talking to laura ling's husband and then you know na lee, one of the most poignant moments when she embraced her 4-year-old daughter hannah and her husband whom they haven't seen in five months. both women were arrested back in march charged with entering north korea illegally sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. but clinton convinced kim jong-il to pardon them. >> 30 hours ago, ueuna lee and were prisoners in north korea. we fears that at any moment, we

could be sent to a hard labor camp. and then suddenly, we were told that we were going to a meeting. we were taken to a location and when we walked in through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. >> lee and ling are employed by former vice president al gore's media company, current tv and gore saying to clinton and president obama -- thanked them for bringing them home. laura ling's sister lisa says they were kept in enforced isolation in north korea and fed rice with rocks in it. she says the women never meant to enter north korea in the first place. >> you know, i haven't really

talked specifics about, you know, what actually happened that day. we know as we've said that, and she will confirm when they left u.s. soil, they never intended to cross the border. as journalists when you're in the field, you know, you never know what is going to arise and thins can be unpredictable. and whatever happened that day, i mean, she'll tell you when she's ready to talk about it, but based on the limited knowledge that i have, i don't think they used poor judgment. >> why not. >> president obama was watching the reunion on television as we all were and he says he, too, is relieved that the women are back home. >> the reunions that we've all seen on television i think is a source of happiness not only for the families but for the entire country. i want to thank president bill clinton. i had a chance to talk to him for the extraordinary

humanitarian effort that resulted in the release of the two journalists. i want to thank vice president al gore who worked tirelessly in order to achieve a positive outcome. >> the president, by the way, is on the road today. he's driving to drive home the theme drive in america speaking at a recreational vehicle plant in indiana. the president promoted a $2.4 billion program of taxpayer grants provided by his stimulus plan to create electric cars and michigan would benefit the most from these grants. >> the battle for america's future will be fought and won in places like elkhart, and detroit, goshen, and pittsburgh, south bend, youngstown, in cities and towns across indiana and across the midwest and across the country that have

been the backbone of america. it will be won by making places like elkhart what they were once were and can be again and that is centers of innovation and entrepreneurship and engenuity and opportunity. >> the area where the president spoke, by the way had, and you employment rate of 16.8% in june. that's up 10 percentage points from last year. supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor getting a boost from her supporters today. hundreds of people held a rally on capitol hill to support her nomination. here they are. they included democratic senators, hispanic leaders and womens and civil rights groups. so far seven senate republicans say they'll support the confirmation in the face of threats from the nra to go against anyone who votes for her. the senate confirmation vote could come as early as next tuesday. the search for a missing idaho boy has come to such a sad ending. the cone corner has tentatively

identified the body as that of robert manwill. dental records are being evaluated to make a positive i.d. official. the coroner is still trying to determine what caused the boy ace death. he varnished july 24th under what police are calling suspicious circumstances. he was visiting his mother at the time and detectives say finding the body now begins a whole new investigation. hundreds of people still cannot go back home because of this explosive fire in michigan. it is mostly under control now we should point out. boy, look how it was raging yesterday. this is at a fuel storage facility near flint. huge drums of chemicals exploded shooting 50 feet in the air. one of the barrels set a second building on fire. fire officials plan to knock down both the buildings today. look what boston firefighters were doing today. rescuing two window washers who got trapped 37 stories up.

the fire department says their platform got stuck while they were working on a building in downtown boston. the rescuers kept pedestrians away from the building to make sure falling glass didn't hurt anyone. the department says neither worker was seriously hurt but one was taken to the hospital for evaluation. washington, d.c. schools are trying to turn what appears to be an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases. a startling number of high schoolers are testing positive. is testing everybody the answer? also, we are going to pennsylvania as we're expecting to hear from authorities about the shooting rampage at a fitness facility yesterday outside pittsburgh. we're back in a moment.

well, casey anthony's father is being questioned today under oath by the prosecutors in his dot casey's criminal case. attorneys are trying to find out what he knows about his granddaughter caylee's disappearance. george anthony's deposition took place behind closed doors in orlando. the little girl's mom is charged with first-degree murder in her death. a judge has postponed casey anthony's murder trial till sometime next summer at earliest. tests for sexually transmitted diseases will soon be offered at all high schools in washington, d.c. the district says it will expand a pilot program that began last year at eight schools. it found 13% of 3,000 students tested were inevented with an std. that's mostly gonorrhea or

chlamydia apparently. the city has been trying hard to reduce its aids rate which is the highest in the nation. it's likely most of us feel a certain degree of helplessness trying to lodge a complaint against some massive company. but the power may be shifting to the little guy. cnn.com live's reggie aqui is explaining how. >> this is the power of the people type of story. why wait on a phone call forever or get frustrated with a customer service rep on the phone when you can ditch the phone completely and twitter your complaint. one of the advantages is you may actually talk to somebody who has the authority or the knowledge at least to the help your problem or get to the right person who can. oftentimes when you call the customer service representative really can't do that much. and we're hearing that companies are paying attention because they're mindful of the damage a single negative tweet can have.

>> on twitter, i have a short little message that i can do in seconds. and that puts the onus then on someone from the company to get back to me. so it changes the dynamic instead of me being at the whim of the company, they are now having to respond to my now more powerful voice. >> although there are a couple of warnings here. first of all, anyone could be saying that they're representing a major company and they're a customer service representative on twitter. it's up to you to figure out if they who they say they are is legit. we did a story about this last week. there's a company in chicago, somebody posted on social networking a complaint about that company. and now that company is actually suing that person. of course, anyone can sue for anything. but you know, just be careful out there. you might want to say it's my opinion i don't like your company. >> very good. that's not maybe not a bad way to word it because you never know who you're talking to online, people. thank you, reggie.

i want to let you know something else on cnn.com today. an 8-year-old abducted by her own mother and stepfather. the thing about this case is that this child suffers from a disorder that can be very painful if not treated. mary nunez was 8 when taken and her father's been searching for her for five years now. her disorder is called avm malformation, a serious health issue that causes migraines and muscle weaknesses recent extremely painful if not treated and can lead to a severe stroke. mary is 13 years old now. we'll have an age progression picture, too. that's what she looked like when she disappeared, what she looks like now with the age progression. brown hair, brown eyes, a birth mark on the bottom of her right foot and may use the same mary kelly or mary san martin. her mother is 35 years old,

5'5", weighing 150 pounds. she has worked as a physician and her stepfather scott is 44 years old. there's his picture with white hair and hazel eyes. 6'2", weighs 190 pounds, wears glasses, worked as a special education teacher in new hampshire, but another clue that might tip you off here, if you see mary is that she has a real passion for horses as does her mother and police believe that is a clue that could lead to mary's recovery. how so you're wondering? go to our website, cnn.com/find the children for the full story. thank you for checking that out. definitely some good news here. in a bad economy for some construction workers laid off. and then rehired. we'll tell you that story but we're also waiting for a press conference from pittsburgh authorities on that tragic shooting at a gym. we'll bring that to you live.

>> want to take you live to pittsburgh right now as we hear from authorities regarding that gym shooting. >> everyone that was affected by these shootings in their prayers over the next couple days, weeks and months because it's going to be a long recovery for a lot of people. i also want to recognize a few people with us here today and you're going to hear from a few of them and then we'll open it up for some questions. as you know, i want to thank charlie for doing a great job of

getting through this the last couple of hours, but the superintendent of allegheny police charlie mof fat is up here today. pat valentine is over here with the allegheny department of human services, deputy director, office of behavioral health. gary vituccio, is with us today and going to say a few words before we open it up for some questions. chief tom devin is with us. i want to thank you for being here today. these are tough times for you. a few things that i want to go over before we open it up. one, the county police, they are continuing to investigate this tragedy and provide support and assistance to the collier township. the medical examiner has identified the diseased as conducting autopsies today. the crime lab is processing evidence from the crime scene as we speak. the department of human service is providing counseling to the

victims and their families. the county has arranged for counseling for anyone abed by this tragedy and would like to speak to a trained professional. here's where i'll ask for some of your help. there is walk-in counseling available at chartiers in bridgeville. call 412-221-3302. again, 412-221-3302, and that address is 437 railroad street in bridgeville. also, resolve crisis network is also providing walk-in counseling and that number is 1-888-796-8226. and anyone who has directly witnessed the shooting or aftermath inside the fitness center can contact the center for victims of violent crime 24 hours a day and their number is

412-392-8582. there will also be a press release handed out that will give the information from all of the departments within the department of human services and the services that we are providing, all the contact information is on that piece of paper. and anyone affected by the shootings in that area, there are several different agencies that are standing by to help you get through this tragedy that we're all dealing with as a community. i've asked charlie mof fat, the superintendent, to come forward and give the most current details of what we know, of what's happened and where the situation is today. we are going to ask the township manager to say a few words on behalf of the local elected officials and then we'll open it up for any questions you'll have for charlie moffat or the chief of police from collier or any one of us from the services we're providing. >> i'm going to ask charlie to

talk about the most recent information. >> good afternoon. i'm sure most of you have the details that we went over last night at the two over last night at the two news conferences. anybody here not have it? you want me to go back? i'm assuming everything has that. the other additional information we can tell you at this time. there was four handguns he had on this person when the shooting went down. as far as we can determine at this point, he used two of the handguns. excuse me, three of the handguns. he used two 9mm semiautomatic and a .45 caliber revolver. he's been positively identified as george sodini. his picture is on the wall to my right. from every indication we've had from the investigation thus far it indicated to us that -- it shows us that mr. sodini had the

intent to do these harm to these individuals -- he had no relationship with anybody in the club that we know of. he went in the club and just opened up firing, and ultimately shot 12 people. we have a listing of all the victims. and on the same list is him listed as the act of mr. sodini. we'll provide the list of names to you rather than me reading it off to you. it gives you the name of the victims, the three that are deceased, and the others that are were injured by gunshot wounds. we just got off the phone with mercy hospital. several were taken to mercy. one was just released. three others. conditions upgraded to serious. >> cnn.com/live. this press conference talking now about the suspected killer in the pennsylvania fitness center shooting last night. three women dead. ten wounded. 6 and the suspect george sodini

killing himself as well. again, go to cnn.com/live. we continue to watch this press conference. we are back in a moment.

what they're saying about their ordeal and how it ended. a man opened fire at a health club killing three women and then himself. now evidence surfaced that it was very well planned and it wasn't his first try. the chilling messages he left behind. what do you do when window washers get stuck 30 story miss the air? we'll tell you what firefighters came up with. very creative. the nightmare is over for two american journalists who have been held since march in north korea. lar ra ling and euna lee arrived in california accompanied by former president bill clinton who negotiated the release.

the families were waiting. there wasn't a dry eye in the place. ling looked overjoyed to see her husband, parents and sister, lisa. ling was overcome with emotion as she embraced her daughter right there. both women were charged with entering the country illegally. they've been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, but clinton convinced north korean leader kim jong il to pardon them. >> suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting. we were taken to a location and when we walked in through the doors we saw standing before us president bill clinton. to our loved ones, friends,

colleagues, and to the complete strangers with the kindest of hearts who showed us so much love and sent us so many positive thoughts and energy, we thank you. we could feel your love all the way in north korea. it was what kept us going in the darkest of hours. it was what sustained our faith that we would come home. >> lee and ling with both employed by former president al gore's media company current tv. he, gore, thanks president clinton and obama, past and present presidents for bringing them home. president obama watched it all from the white house on television. he says he's relieved the women are home. >> the reunion we've all seen on television i think is a source of happiness, not only for the families, but for the entire

country. i want to thank president bill clinton. i had a chance to talk with him, for the extraordinary humanitarian effort that resulted in the release of the two journalists. i want to thank vice president al gore who worked tirelessly in order to achieve a positive outcome. secretary of state hillary clinton says her husband's meeting with kim jong il could pave the way for renewed talks about the north korean nuclear program. though analysts believe the north koreans may not have been considering that when they agreed to the pardon. >> i think the white house and secretary of state have been carefully trying to describe this as a private mission, a humanitarian mission, not at the undertaking of the request of president obama. not done for the obama administration, in order to separate out the question over the release of these two women, from the question of nuclear

talks. the white house does not want to be seen in a position in exchange for the women we'll take off of the talks. they want to keep the two separated. i think they are doing that successfully. all indications are the signals came from the north koreans through the families that if bill clinton were to come that would be enough to trigger, and that helped to set this off. clearly there's been a lot of negotiating, but also a lot of choreography behind the scenes in order to keep the emphasis on this as a private humanitarian mission. the longer that the regime held them, the more and more people looked at the legal system in north korea. and the north koreans didn't like that. and the longer that they held those women, the more mean and vindictive kim jong il looked. certainly they didn't like that. they wanted to offload the two women. yes, it was a gesture of friendship. also it was in their self-interest to do that. >> north korea demanding two party bilateral talks between the u.s. and pyongyang. we want to know what you think

is the fallout from this. the legacy of the clinton mission. will it open the doors to better relations with north korea? call in and tell us what you think. you can e-mail us at cnn.com/hln or text us. standard text rates apply. we'll hear from you all daf. police now say they have positively identified the gunman in the gym rampage as george sodini. it occurred just outside pittsburgh in allegheny county, pennsylvania. they have confirmed he had four guns. >> there was four handguns he had on this person when the shooting was done. as far as we can determine at this point, he used two of the handguns. excuse me, three of the handguns. he used two 9mm semiautomatics and he use ad .45 caliber revolver. we believe it was the .45 caliber revolver he used to take his own life. >> he walked into a fitness

center, turned off the lights, and fired around 50 shots. three women were killed, ten people were hurt. police say sodini killed himself with a 45 caliber weapon. again, three women dead, 12 people shot, and he also had a blog in which he blamed his mother and women in general for his distress. what makes the rampage more chilling is the words that he wrote. it's not sodini's first attempt. entries in the diary he kept showed he planned a rampage like this in january but couldn't go through with it. here's an entry dated january 6th. it is 6:40 p.m. about an hour and a half to go. god have mercy. i wish life could be better for all and the crazy world could somehow run better. i wish i had answers. bye. later that night. it's 8:45 p.m. i chickened out. i brought the loaded guns, everything.

hell. then i took off today, monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it's well polished. i need to work out every detail. singer chris brown may be picking up trash along the side of a road. he'll be sentenced for brutally beating ex-girlfriend pop star rihanna. he's expected to get six months community service and five months probation. the judge may let him serve his probation in virginia, where he's from. in june he pleaded guilty to felon assault. the couple never faced each other. as brown left the courtroom through one door. rihanna entered from ra different direction. paula abdul is leaving "american idol." in a twitter message she said with sadness in her heart she's decided not to return. last month her manager told the l.a. times that producers had not offered her a new contract, and show auditions begin tomorrow. fox and producers say abdul has

been an important part of the "american idol" family over the last eight seasons and they wish her the best. tonight, find out the real story behind paula abdul's surprising departure. was she pushed? did she go willingly? don't miss it tonight here on hln. a boston police officer that was suspended for a blistering e-mail he wrote. what he's doing now.

a young atlanta man is being held without bond in the shooting death of vernon forrest. 20-year-old demario ware turned himself into police. he was gunned down last month when he chase ad robber who snatched his wallet and watch. he was shot repeatedly in the torso and thigh. he won at least three major

international boxing titles. a boston cop suspended for an e-mail is fighting back. joe johns tells us how he's responding to the threat of possibly losing his job. first he fired off a racially offensive e-mail to the boston globe. then when it got him suspendsed her fired a lawsuit against the city of boston claiming his civil rights were violated. officer justin barrett's e-mail complained about a column sympathetic to henry lewis gates. the e-mail got him suspended from the police department. should the e-mail be enough to cost him his badge? >> he wrote, if i was the officer he verbally assaulted like a banana eating jungle monkey i would have sprayed him in the face to o.c. apparently a reference to pepper spray. he called it jungle monkey gibberish. he said gates had transcended back to a bumbling jungle

monkey. >> reporter: he did assert that he's not a racist and went on tv to apologize. >> i'm not a racist. i did not intend racism in my words. >> reporter: the mayor was quoted as saying barrett is gone. the police chief put him on administrative leave. >> his e-mail was racist and inflammatory. these racist opinions and feelings have no place in this department or in our society. and will not be tolerated. >> reporter: barrett's lawsuit claims he was terminated without due process or equal protection of the law, among other things. that his contract rights were violated and accused the city of intentional infliction of emotional distress. but cnn legal analyst lisa bloom doesn't see much merit to the suit. >> officer barrett's comments in writing are so extreme and

beyond the pail that his continued presence on the police force would be a disruption and a distraction. i think he has to go. i think he is entitled to a hearing. that's one thing he asks for in the lawsuit. he probably is entitled to the hearing. but at the hearing he's going to lose. >> some might say his words speak for themselves. joe johns, cnn, washington. a father in louisiana helped dig his own son's grave to help the family save a little money. 15 yield melvin lost his struggle with cancer last month. his parents make just enough to get by. they didn't have $5,000 for a funeral cost. the funeral home told him they could save $300 by digging the boy's grave. his father admits it was tough, though other relatives helped. >> everything was about money. i'm digging the hole knowing my son is going to go in the ground. that ain't a pretty picture.

>> the rest of the bill was picked up by louisiana troopers and melvin's family say they know somehow he had a hand in it. what happens when you get stuck 37 stories high? a couple of guys find out today. witness their rescue.

boston firefighters had a job on their hands. they rescued two window washers trapped 37 stories up. their window washing platform got stucking while working on a building in boston today.

firefighters had to break a couple of windows to get them to safety. rescuers kept pedestrians from the building to make sure falling glass didn't hurt anybody. the department says neither worker was seriously hurt, though one was taken to a hospital for evaluation. an ohio woman just made a total stranger's wedding dreams come true. the woman's daughter called off the own wedding. she already had a gown and six bridesmaid dresses. she gave them to a woman who couldn't afford the dresses of her dreams. they met for the first time yesterday. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. i'm so happy to do this. the wedding should be a wonderful, wonderful time. >> i had went and picked the dress, but i didn't have the money to buy it, so i was just going to, go home and try to save or whatever.

then they closed and everything. we were kind of back to square one. >> we wish them all the best. the bride-to-be is said the dress is like something she would have picked and it fits perfectly. which would cost more? buying a new house or having a child? a new report concludes $221,000 to raise a daughter or son. an estimate based on an average middle-income family with a child in 2008. families with incomes higher than that will spend more. lower income families spending less. and they do calculate everything from food to housing, but it stops at age 17. so college tuition is not factored in. it's time for the annual back-to-school shopping tradition. summer sales tax holidays. ten states are hosting them this coming weekend. what do you need to take advantage of the savings? kelly grant join us live in new york to tell us. what are the first steps? >> well the first thing you need to know is you may pay some sales tax during the state sales

tax holiday. that comes from most states will allow local counties and cities to decide whether they want to waive more than the state portion of the sales tax, so give than a lot of counties are budget strapped themselves you may end up paying a little bit. alabama, for example, is going to waive the 4% state sales tax this coming weekend, but some of the counties, including jefferson county, home to birmingham, are still going to charge their 2%. check out what your local area is doing before you decide which mall to go to. >> that county is really hurting, i understand. >> they are. >> what are the exemptions? >> the exemptions will vary by state. you need to think about looking at the definition. some are very broad. they include a lot of things. other get specific. iowa, for example, is going to include moat clothing and footware, but not athletic apparel. north carolina includes things from disposable diapers to aprons. definitely check. you might find savings you

weren't expecting. >> is there a way to get more savings? >> there are plenty of sales out there right now. retailers are really hurting. the 5% to 6% you might save on sales tax when you think about the the bigger sales going on. really make sure that you're matching some of the items exempt with the items the retailers are having on sale. also check because some states are being cautious of how they handle sales. if you have a rebate or manufacturer's coupon they may still charge you the sales tax on the item. >> mostly back to school item ls. you can't buy a new car. >> well you can't buy a car, but louisiana and vermont both of which have holidays coming up, theirs is anything less than $2,500. that counts anything not a car or restaurant. >> good chunk of change. good to see you. thank you. president obama on the road today speaking to the economy, trying to drive home the theme made in america. he spoke to a recreational vehicle factory in northern indiana. a region with one of the woes

unemployment rates in the nation. he pro mote ad $2.4 billion program of taxpayer grants provided by the stimulus plan to create electric cars and tens of thousands of jobs. indiana and michigan would be the biggest beneficiaries. the area where mr. obama spoke had an unemployment rate of 16.8% in june. up 10 percentage points from a year ago. >> you're the voice of the people! >> a wisconsin congressman got an earful about the proposed health care reform. 250 people packed a form hosted by democrat steve kagen. nearly the latest democratic lawmaker treated to shouts and jeers while trying to discuss health care reform during the congressional recess. he sads both sides of the debate should be able to find some common ground. tests for sexually transmitted diseases, stds will be offered at all washington, d.c. high school this is coming

school years. they will expand a pilot program that began at eight schools last year. that program found 1% of the students tested were infected with an std. mostly gonorrhea or cla m. two russian nuclear subs are patrolling the waters off the east coast for several days. they've not seen anything like this since the cold war. but they say there's no reason for concern. the russian subs are hundreds of miles away in international waters, and the u.s. had advanced intelligence they were coming. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term. hundreds gathered outside the ceremony. after taking the oath he criticized the u.s. and other western countries for not congratulating him. the widely disputed presidential election led to deadly clashes between protesters and police in

iran. >> two american journalists held prisoner in north korea overjoyed to be back on u.s. soil. there are the pictures from california. do you think the release opens the door to better relations with the sec reit

we have learned a lot more about that shooting outside pittsburgh last night. they positively identified the gunman as george sodini. during a news conference just completed they reveal that had he had four guns. he actually rehearsed the attack earlier in the day. >> he had practice runs at the l.a. fitness center. he had been there before. from the investigation it showed that yesterday he was there three times, starting at 11:40 something in the morning. he must have come in, backed out, he came in at 7:00 something in the evening. he goes back out. he comes back in at 7:56. the first call to the collier police was at 8:16 last night.

it was just a matter of minutes from the time he came in to the time he committed the murders. just starting shooting people in the same room that he was in. >> investigators say sodini walked into the l.a. fitness center. there's a picture of him. last night he turned off the lights at an aerobics session and opened up about 50 rounds. three women were killed before sodini killed himself. what makes it more chilling. it wasn't his first attempt. there was practice runs yesterday. entries in a diary he kept showed he plan a rampage in jan but couldn't go through with it. it is 6:40 p.m. an hour and a half to go. god have mercy. i wish life could be better for all and the crazy world could run smoother. bye. later that night. it's 8:45 p.m. i chickened out. i brought the loaded guns, everything.

hell! then an enter from only two days ago. i took off today, monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine. i need to work out every day tail. there's only one shot. the nightmare is over for two american journalists held in north korea since march. laura ling and euna lee arrived in california with former president bill clinton. the families were waiting. there wasn't a dry eye in the place. lee was overcome with emotion as she embraced her husband and her little 4-year-old daughter. both women were arrested in north korea along the border with china and charged with illegally entering the country. krin on the convinced north korean leader to pardon them. >> 30 hours ago euna lee and i were prisoners in north korea. # we feared that at any moment

we could be sent to a hard labor camp. and then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting. we were taken to a location, and when we walked in through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. >> lee and ling are employed by the man behind them, former vice president al gore's media tv. he thanked president clinton and president obama for bringing them home. lisaling says the two women were kept in isolation by the north koreans and were fed rice with rocks in it. she said the journalists never meant to enter north korea in the first place. >> you know, i haven't talked

specifics about what actually happened that day. we know, as we've said, that when they left u.s. soil they never intended to cross the border. as journalists when you're in the field, you never know what is going to arise. things can be unpredictable. and whatever happened that day, she'll tell you when she's ready to talk about it. but based on the limited knowledge that i have -- >> president obama today watched the joyous reunion on tv. he said he's relieved the women are back home. >> the reunion we've all seen on television i think is a source of happiness, not only for the families but for the entire counted. i want to thank president bill clinton. i had a chance to talk to him, for the extraordinary humanitarian effort that

resulted in the release of the two journalists. i want to thank vice president al gore who worked tirelessly in order to achieve a positive outcome. >> president obama just before he took off for indiana today. he says factories there are coming back to life. a point he hammered home, speaking at a recreational plant outside elkhart, indiana. it has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. he pro motes a $2.4 billion grant program to create electric cars and tens of thousands of jobs. indiana and michigan will be the grants. promised a major change to the u.s. health care system before year's end. >> i promise you we will pass reform by the end of this year because the american people need it. the american people need some relief. >> the area where mr. obama spoke had an unemployment rate in june of 16.8%.

that's up ten percentage points from last year. four out of five americans say the u.s. health care system needs a major overhaul. about half think the president has the right answer. a new cnn opinion research poll finds 77% of those surveyed say major change is needed. the poll then finds 50% favor the reform plan. 45% do not. here's good news in a bad economy. a construction company that had to lay off all the employees this year has hired them all back. the owner says she let the people go because business dried up. now he has work for his former employees and some new ones. >> it paid off better than just bringing our employees back. i have eight new people. when we're done we'll have 16 new people. >> it's a blessing these guys hired me. i'm grateful. >> he hopes to hire even more people next month. singer chris brown may soon find himself picking up trash along the side of the road.

he'll be sentenced for brutally beating his ex-girlfriend, rihanna. he's expected to get five years probation and six months of community service, like roadside cleanup or graffiti removal. in june he pleaded guilty to felon assault just before a preliminary hearing. the couple never faced each other at the hearing. as brown left the courtroom through one door, rihanna entered from a different direction. paula abdul is leaving "american idol" after eight seasons on the show. we're not entirely clear why. she posted this twitter message. last month her manager told the l.a. times the show's producers haven't offered her a new contract. and auditions begin tomorrow for the new "idol" season. the show's producers say she was an important part of the "idol"

family and they wish her the best. a proud father post ad video of his young boy so everybody could watch his accomplishment. instead of praise, the response was outrage. what the dad says about letting his 7-year-old drive the family around.

a nice family camping trip takes a deadly turn. an ideal soccer mom was coming back from a nice wholesome weekend, celebrating with family and friends. then, boom, all the sudden she sends up driving the wrng way on the highway, hitting another highway head on, killing eight people. eight! including her 2-year-old daughter and her three little nieces. turns out this perfect mother on the outside was actually

severely intoxicated and according to cops high on marijuana. there's even reports that a botd l of vodka was found near the wreckage. this woman seems to have had a serious problem. it's just another gut wrenching reminder that the face of alcohol and drug abuse is not who we like to think it is. it shows no race, gender or economic status. even the perfect looking happy soccer mom can hide a toxic secret. tonight we're going to take a hard look at this particular tragedy and the horrors of alcohol and drug abuse. i'm vein velez-mitchell. that's my issue. it's getting better. people in and around louisville are cleaning up after receding flood waters. it dumped half a foot of rain in less than three hours. at the university of lou weville he managed to get to work but

there were alerts about campus flooding and the university was shut down. he ventured out after the rain, stopped to check out the damage and found cars half submerged on flooded streets. sidewalks are covered in mud. if you have i-reports like that, pictures, video or breaking news of cool stories from where you are going to ireport.com and look for upload now link. a dad says he's sorry, sort of, for letting his 7-year-old son drive the family with the suv with the rest of the family in the backseat. he, the father says, nobody was ever in danger. here's the video. it's from 2007. it became a recent youtube hit. he's seen driving on a rural road. his dad says he's proud of his son and put it on the web to impress friends. a lot of people became outrages.

police in quebec are investig e investigating. this isn't exactly what tourists expected near the sea of gallali. they met a car coming from the opposite direction. one of the cars jumping right on top of it. here it is again. it breaks the windshield. the horse and driver of the car were slightly hurt. goodness. washington schools are trying to deal with what appears to be an epidemic of stds. a startling number of high school students are testing positive. is testing everybody the answer?

the boston police officer suspended after sending an e-mail is suing the force and the city's mayor. he said the city violated his civil rights causing his pain and suffering and emotional distress. he sent an e-mail that included a racial slur in reference to gates. boston's mayor called for his dismissal. he reiterated his side of the story.

>> i composed the e-mail. i did not mean it to be offensive. i've apologized. i served my country. i volunteered to go to iraq. i served the city of boston. if i'm charged with a crime, i want the chance to answer. i want the chance for a fair hearing. >> gates was arrested at his home in cambridge by police officers investigating a report of a possible burglary, a charge later dropped. a father in louisiana help ed dig his own son's grave to save money. his parents say they make just enough to get by, didn't have the $5,000 needed for funeral costs. the funeral home said they could save $300 by digging the boy's grave. his father admits it was tough even though other relatives helped. >> everything was about a money thing. everything was moving fast. i'm the one digging this hole knowing my son is going to go in here.

that ain't a pretty picture. state troopers in louisiana pitched in to help the family with the rest of the funeral bill. it's the first time the law enforcement group has ever assisted a family in that situation. the father of a california national guards man serving in iraq insists he will not take down a tattered american flag until his son comes home. it's a promise he's made. some people say it's disrespectful. he disagrees. his son put up the flag when he left for his third tour of duty in iraq 11 months ago. he says that flag stays until his boy comes back safely. >> i don't see it as being disrespectful. # i see it as keeping a promise to a son. that you love and made a promise to. >> well, corporal harris returns this week and everybody will know he's home because a new flag will be flying. you probably seen the seen

the signs, new shoes, new shirt, in service. a restaurant manager told her she couldn't eat there because her baby wasn't wearing shoes. jennifer fredericks said the manager threatened to call police if she didn't leave. >> if you're going to go to burger king put shoes on your baby. >> the manager insisted on footware because of health concerns. burger king has not offered any public comment on the incident. staggering job losses have made michigan's unemployment rate the highest in the nation. advanced battery technology could be among the keys to detroit's comeback. today health is on the way. c cnnmoney.com's poppy harlow has more on this. >> billions of dollars in help. that's what we're talking about. the obama administration today announcing $2.4 billion in grants for building electric cars and the batteries they run on.

michigan getting a big chunk of the money. actually the biggest of any state getting more than a billion dollars. it will be split between 11 different projects across the state. today joe biden naming the winner of the grants. they include the big three. gm, chrysler, and ford. a number of smaller companies, also some university grants included in that. michigan has had its eye set on becoming the world leader in developing the technology and these electric cars for a long time. obviously the reason there, bring jobs to the state. the goal, create long lasting meaningful jobs that pay well, and the vice president addressed that exact issue this afternoon. take a listen to what he said. >> it's expected we'll be able to create here in your state 19,000 -- not jobs flipping burgers -- 19,000 high paying decent jobs with benefits that allow you to be able to live the way you live. >> you hear the applause there.

jobs needed desperately in the state of michigan. especially in the city of detroit. on top of that federal money, chuck, there's $700 million in state aid in in the form of tax any batterymakers that want to set up shop in michigan. help from a number of different places. >> betting on batteries assumes the electric car will catch on. do you think americans will buy it? >> i can't tell for sure but they're expensive. right? the first one to roll off are expensive. a rumored price tag on the chevy volt of about $40,000. that's pretty steep. and you got to charge them somewhere. charging them up is an issue. you don't have charging stations on every corner like gas stations. but one thing is positive news. that's that we're seeing a paradigm shift in the cars people are buying. that evidence is coming from the cash for clunkers program, people trading in the big suvs. the list is the top sellers in the program. >> they're awful quiet, that's for sure. >> that's right. >> poppy, thank you so much. you can get all of the business news at cnnmoney.com.

encouraging profits from procter & gamble, kraft, whole foods. stocks have been retreating all day because of weaker than expected reports on the overall economy. the big board fell off about 45 points just about -- we're not close to 10,000. 9275 with about eight minutes to go in the trading day. all high schools in the city of washington will begin offering testing for sexually transmitted diseases. the school district says it will expand a pilot program that began last year in eight schools, and that program found 13% of students tested were infected with an std, mostly gonorrhea or chlamydia. washington has also been trying to reduce its aids infection rate which is the highest in the nation. which might cost more? buying a new house or having a child? a government report concludes it will cost $221,000 to raise a daughter or son based on an average middle income family who had a child in 2008. it calculates the cost of

everything from food to housing. broken engagement, wedding canceled, beautiful wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses gone to waste. how one woman turned a nightmare into a dream come true. in

the field, you know, you never know what is going to arrive and things can be unpredictable. and whatever happened that day, she'll tell you when she's ready to talk about it. but based on the limited knowledge that i have, i don't

think that they used poor judgment. >> why not? >> president obama watched the joyous reunion on television. he says he's relieved the women are now back home. >> i want to just make a brief comment about the fact that the two young journalists, euna lee and laura ling, are safely back with their families. we are obviously extraordinarily relieved. i had an opportunity to speak with the families yesterday. once we knew that they were on the plane. the reunion that we've all seen on television i think is a source of happiness, not only for the families but for the entire country. supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor got a boost from her supporters today. hundreds of them rallied on capitol hill to support her nomination. they included democratic senators, hispanic leaders and

women's and civil rights groups. sotomayor actually picked up support from another republican senator today, missouri's kit bond announced he will vote for the president's nominee. he becomes the seventh senate republican to come out in favor of her confirmation. that's in the face of threats=c from the nra to go against anyone who votes for her. the senate confirmation vote could come as early as next tuesday. boston firefighters have rescued two window washers who got trapped 37 stories up. the fire department says their window washing platform got stuck while they were working on a building in downtown boston today. firefighters had to break out a couple windows to get to the safety. rescuers kept pedestrians away from the building to make sure there wasn't any falling glass that would hurt anybody. the department says neither worker was seriously hurt but one of them was taken to the hospital just toc| kind of get look over. an atlanta man is being held without bond in the shooting

death of boxing champ vernon forrest. 20-year-old demario ware turned himself in to atlanta police last night, charged with murder, aggravated assault and robbery. police say forrest was gunned down last month when he chased a robber. he was shot repeatedly in the torso and thigh. no other arrests have been made in the case but police do not believe ware is the one who shot forrest. the search for a missing idaho boy has come to a tragic end. the coroner has tentatively identified a body found in a canal as that of 8-year-old robert manwill. dental records are being evaluated to make a positive i.d. coroner is still trying to determine what caused robert's death. ñ under what police call suspicious circumstances. he was visiting his mother at the time. detectives say finding the boy's actually the beginning of a brand-new investigation. nancy grace is investigating all the late-breaking details in the disappearance of robert manwill. plus we're taking your calls

tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern time right here on hln. singer chris brown may soon find himself picking up trash on the side of the road. he'll be sentenced in less than 90 minutes for brutally beating his ex-girlfriend, pop star rihanna. he's expected to get five years probation and six months of community service, probably something like roadside clean-up or maybe graffiti removal. judge may let him serve his probation in virginia, that is where he's from. in june brown pleaded guilty to felony assault just before a preliminary hearing where rihanna was expected to testify. the former couple never faced each other at that hearing because as brown left the courtroom through one door, rihanna entered from a different direction. paula abdul is saying good-bye to "american idol." was it her decision? was she forced out? what she and her manager are saying about this.

on this. shirley is calling from santa cruz, california. pictures make everybody warm and fuzzy. what do you think? >> caller: well, i believe that president clinton is a great statesman. he has intelligence and personality to relate to north korea. in my opinion, mr. clinton was one of the greatest presidents we ever had and his humanitarian efforts in this situation speak volumes. even though we have difficulty with north korea and other countries, mr. clinton proved that there are positive possibilities ahead if we try. >> so you think maybe this does pave the way for us to have better relations with north korea. shirley, thank you. frances is calling from ft. mills, south carolina. frances, do you think this is a

sign that maybe we could have better relations with north korea or no? >> unfortunately, knowing the delicate situation of the relationship between the united states and north korea, the public will never know what concessions we made to new york to secure the release of these two women. as a result i think it is impossible to guess if there will be any benefit to the u.s. in the long run. >> so you can see that there's probably a lot of things that went on behind the scenes that we don't really know about. frances, thank you. good call. also getting lots of texts and e-mails as well. listen to what one of the texts says we got -- north korea in my opinion will be much easier to deal with now and by releasing the reporters they're trying to show the world they're changing their ways. i also posted this question on my facebook page and got a lot of responses from you. this is what someone wrote -- north korea has never shown a consistent disposition. so this week they have freed two

journalists. yea. next week they will threaten to blow up hawaii, and it goes on and on. but breuce sees it a different way. it shows they will at least listen and are open to being treated with respect. that's just a taste of your views that you shared with us today. thanks for all of your e-mails an phone calls and your texts and facebook posts. we still want you to comment on anything you want today here at hln "news and views." "prime news" starts at the top of the hour. we have several topics you can comment on. check them out. go to cnn.com/primenews and see how you can continue to get your views heard. you probably got a view about this, too. paula abdul is leaving "american idol." she posted a twitter message. she wrote, with sadness in her heart she's decided not return. this is what she wrote. she'll miss being part of the show she helped from day one become an international phenomenon. of course last month her manager

told the "l.a. times" producers hadn't given her a contract proposal. show auditions begin tomorrow. both fox and show producers say paula abdul has been an important part of "american idol" over the last eight seasons. it goes on to say they wish her the best. so tonight, find out the real story behind abdul's departure. did she quit? was she let go? what will this mean for the hit show. watch "showbiz tonight" at 11:00 p.m. eastern right here on hln. a.j. has all that for you. a proud father posted a video of his young son so everyone could watch the boy's accomplishments. instead of praise, he got a lot of outrage about this. what the dad says about letting his 7-year-old -- 7 -- drive the family around.

the u.s. military is updating its facebook status. the pentagon is drafting new policy on facebook, myspace and twitter. the marines have banned social networking sites on their internal computer network, but allow troops to access them from their own computers. a pentagon spokesman says the goal was to have a new policy by september 30th that allows branches of the military to take advantage of the sites without compromising military security. president obama is on the road today trying to drive home the theme made in america. he is at an rv factory in northern indiana. that region has one of the worst unemployment rates in the country.

he promoted a $2.4 billion program of taxpayer grants provided by the stimulus plan to create electric cars and tens of thousands of jobs. indiana and michigan benefit the most from these grants. >> the battle for america's future will be fought and won in places like elkhart, detroit, goshen and pittsburgh, south bend, youngstown, in cities and towns across indiana and across the midwest and across the country that have been the backbone of america. it will be won by making places like elkhart what they once were and can be again. that's centers of innovation and entrepreneurship and ingenuity and opportunity. >> listen to these numbers. area where the president spoke had an unemployment rate of 16.8% in june. that's up 10 percentage points from last year. nearly 4 out of 5 americans say health care needs a major overhaul, but only half think the president is on the right track. that is from a new cnn/opinion

research poll. 77% of those surveyed say major change is needed. but, the country is pretty much split on president obama's proposals. 50% favor them, 45% do not. if you haven't cashed in on cash for clunkers, you'll likely get another chance. senate leaders hope to vote today or tomorrow on something an extra $2 billion into the program. majority leader harry reid says it will pass. >> cash for clunkers, we'll pass cash for clunkers. >> when will do you that. >> before we leave here. >> you think you'll you have the votes for it? >> yes. >> without that money the cash for clunkers program would end friday. republican leaders say they will not block the vote. a quebec dad says he's sorry -- kind of -- for letting his 7-year-old son drive the family car. yes, 7. the rest of the family was in the back seat. this is not like the other story where the 7-year-old took off with nobody knowing. the father insists no one was

ever in danger. the video was shot two years ago and recently became a big hit on youtube. the boy is seen driving on a country road. the father says he was so proud of his son that he put it on the web to impress his friends. but a lot of people got really upset and police are investigating. the boston police officers who was suspended for using a racial slur in an e-mail is suing the force and the city's mayor. justin barrett says the city violated his civil and due process rights causing him pain and suffering and emotional distress and mental anguish. it all started with the e-mail about harvard professor henry louis gates and his arrest. in it barrett used a racist term in reference to gates. appearing on "ac 360" last night, barrett insists that he doesn't deserve to get sacked. >> i composed an e-mail.

i didn't mean it to be offensive. i apologized and i've served my country. i volunteered to go to iraq. i served my city of boston. if i'm charged with a crime, i want the chance to answer. i want the chance for a fair hearing. that's why i got my attorney. >> of course, you know professor gates was arrested last month in his own home after police got a report of a possibly burglary. the incident prompted a national debate about race. stocks pull back from wall street's recent rally even though optimism about the economy might be growing. diane king is at business desk in new york with today's trading details. hi, diane. >> hi. indeed a four-day rally on wall street has come to an end as stocks took a step back today. a series of weaker than expected economic reports left investors hesitant. the u.s. services sector contracted again last month by more than economists expected. and a closely watched employment report show the economy is still shedding jobs but not nearly as many as in recent months. we will get official government numbers on the job front on

friday. there was a bit of bright news on the day. u.s. factory orders surprisingly rose almost .5% in june giving some hope to the ailing manufacturing sector may be recovering. economists expected a nearly 1% decline. on wall street, the major averages retreated some. the dow industrials fell 39 points ending at 9280. nasdaq composite dropped nearly 1% and the broader s&p 500 edged down slightly. tomorrow we will get the latest reading on weekly jobless claims. richelle? >> thank you, diane. we will keep talking about money. what do you think would cost more? buying a new house or having a kid? a new government report concludes it will cost $221,000 to raise your son or daughter. that estimate is based on an average middle income family who had a child during 2008. families with higher incomes will spend more while lower income families spend less. that report calculates the cost of everything from food to housing, but listen to this -- it stops at the age of 17 so that does not include college

tuition. i'm an only child, thank goodness for my parents. outrage and horror after a gunman unleashes rounds at a health club killing three women, then himself. the evidence surfaces that the spree was well planned. not long ago, this man had limited mobility.

last month, this woman wasn't even able to get around inside of her own home. they chose mobility. and they chose the scooter store! if you or a loved one live with limited mobility call the scooter store! no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to guarantee your complete satisfaction. if we pre-qualify you for a new power chair or scooter and your claim isn't approved, the scooter store will give you your power chair or scooter free. that's our guarantee. they were so helpful and nice. they filed all the paperwork, and medicare and my insurance covered the cost. we can work directly with medicare or with your insurance company. we can even help with financing. if there's a way, we'll find it! so don't wait any longer, call the scooter store today.

police have positively identified the gunman in last night's pennsylvania gym rampage as george sodini. they also reveal he had four guns and actually rehearsed the attack earlier in the day. >> he had practiced runs at the l.a. fitness center. had he been there before. from the investigation, it showed that yesterday he was there three times starting at 11:40-something in the morning. he must have come in, he'd go back out, he'd come back in about 7:00-something in the evening. goes back out, comes back in at 7:56. the first call that's dispatched to the collier police was at

8:16 p.m. last night. from the time he come in to the time he committed the murders was just a matter of minutes and he just started shooting people as they were in the same room as he was in. >> investigators say he then walked into a suburban pittsburgh l.a. fitness center last night, turned off the lights and fired dozens of rounds. police say three women were killed. at least ten people were hurt. before he killed himself. the nightmare's over for two american journalists who have been held in north korea since march. look at these pictures. laura ling and euna lee arrived in california today accompanied by former president bill clinton who negotiated their release. their families of course were waiting. wasn't a dry eye in the place when they got off that plane. ling was overjoyed to see her husband, her parents and her sister lisa. lee, as you see a minute ago, was overcome with emotion as she hugged her husband and 4-year-old daughter. both women were arrested in

north korea in march and they were charged with entering the country illegally. they've been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. clinton convinced north korean leader kim jong-il to pardon them. lee says she's grateful to everyone for their support through the ordeal. >> to our loved ones, friends, colleagues, and to the complete strangers with the kindness of heart who showed us so much love and sent us so many positive thoughts and energy, we thank you. we could feel your love all the way in north korea. it is what kept us going in the darkest of hours. it is what sustained our faith that we would come home. >> lee and ling worked for former vice president al gore's media company current tv.

gore thanked clinton and president obama for bringing them home. >> we want to welcome laura and euna home. we want to thank president bill clinton for undertaking this mission and performing it so skillfully and all the members of his team who played key roles in this. also, to president obama, laura mentioned this, but president obama and countless members of his administration have been deeply involved in this humanitarian effort, to secretary clinton and the members of the state department, several of whom are here, they have really put their hearts into this. it speaks well of our country. >> laura ling's sister, journalist lisa ling, says that laura and euna were kept in isolation and separated while in north korea. they were fed rice with rocks in

it. she says the women never meant to enter north korea in the first place. >> i haven't really talked specifics about what actually happened that day. we know, as we've said, that -- and she will confirm that when they left u.s. soil they never intended to cross the border. as journalists, when you're in the field, you know, you never know what is going to arise and things can be unpredictable. and whatever happened that day, she'll tell you when she's ready to talk about it. but based on what limited knowledge that i have, i don't think that they used poor judgment. >> ling says the little bit laura was able to tell her about her experience has been hard for her family to hear. singer chris brown may soon find himself picking up trash on the side of the road. he'll be sentenced in less than an hour and a half for pbrutall

beating his ex-girlfriend, pop star rihanna. expected to get five years of probation, six months of community service. probably cleaning up the side of the road or graffiti removal. the judge may let him serve his probation where he's frvirginia. in june brown pleaded guilty to assault just before a preliminary hearing where rihanna was expected to testify. they never faced each other at the hearing because as brown was leaving the courtroom through one door, rihanna was entering from a different direction. president obama spent part of the day in indiana. he says the state's factories are coming back to life. a point he drove home while speaking at an rv plant that's back up and running after going bust. the stressed-out region has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. the president promoted a $2.4 billion grant program and a stimulus plan to create electric indiana and michigan would benefit the most from these grants. >> the battle for america's

future will be fought an won in places like elkhart, detroit, goshen and pittsburgh, south bend, youngstown, in cities and towns across indiana and across the midwest and across the country that have been the backbone of america. it will be won by making places like elkhart what they once were and can be again. that's centers of innovation and entrepreneurship and ingenuity and opportunity. >> the president also promised a major overhaul to the u.s. health care system before the end of the year. here's some good news in this bad economy. a construction company that had to lay off all of its employees earlier this year has hired all of them back. owner says he let people go because his business had dried up. thanks to a new business plan, he now has work for his former employees, and some new ones, too. >> i paid off better than just bringing our employees back. i have eight new people. when we're done we'll have 16

new people. >> it is a blessing that these guys hired me. i'm grateful. >> he hopes to hire even more people next month. nearly 4 out of 5 americans say health care needs a major overhaul but only half think the president's on the right track. that's from a new cnn/opinion research poll. 77% of those surveyed say major change is needed but the country is pretty much split on the president's proposal. 50% favor them, 45% do not. the search for a missing idaho boy has come to a tragic end. a coroner has tentatively identified a body found in a canal as that of 8-year-old robert manwill. dental records are being evaluated to make a positive i.d. the coroner's still trying to determine what caused robert's death. he vanished on july 24th under what police call suspicious circumstances. he was visiting his mother at the time. detectives say finding the body

is the beginning of a brand-new investigation. nancy grace is investigating all of the breaking details in the disappearance of robert manwill, plus she'll be taking your calls tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on hln. what do you do when window washers get stuck? more than 30 stories in the air? we'll tell you what firefighters came up with.

catch this -- boston firefighters rescued two window washers who got trapped 37 stories up. fire department says their window washing platform got stuck. is on a billing they were

working on this downtown boston today. firefighters had to break a couple windows to get them to safety. they kept pedestrians away from the building in case there was any falling glass. the department says none of the workers were hurt but they did take one of them to the hospital just so somebody can look them over. but everybody is okay. tests for sexually transmitted diseases will soon be offered at all high schools in washington, d.c. the district says a pilot program began last year at eight schools. the program found 13% of 3,000 students tested were infected with an std. most frequently gonorrhea or chlamydia. d.c. has been trying to reduce its aids rate which is actually the highest in the nation. most of us feel a certain degree of helplessness when you try to file a complaint against a really big company. but the power may be shifting to the little guy.

cnn.com live's virginia cha is here to explain exactly how that is. virginia, do tell. because i get frustrated sometimes. >> oh, i know it, richelle. so why would you call a customer service line only to risk being put on terminal hold when you can tweet right to the masses and send the shivers up and down the pr spins of whoever it is you're dealing with. it is the result of people fed up with bad customer service are starting to use twitter. companies are paying attention now. they are hearing this because they're mindful of the damage a single negative post can do. a lot of people are listening. >> on twitter, i have a short little message that i can do in seconds. and that puts the onus then on someone from the company to get back to me. it changes the dynamic. instead of me being at the whim

of the company, they are now having to respond to my now more powerful voice. >> not to mention you can actually get a response from someone more senior than the customer service representative. their, can you get your issue resolved faster and with a better outcome. there can be at least one drawback though and it has to do with the anonymity of twist twi posts. go to cnn.com/video. >> make sure you don't tweet off the wrong company. because it gives you a story a couple weeks ago on one company that got mad at a woman who treated about them and tried to sue her. >> yes, don't say anything that could be considered liablous or slander. >> but i do like this tactic very much. i like it! from venting about your beef to getting some -- finding some beef? >> where's the beef? it's right here, richelle. apparently you want fresh beef, maybe fresh veggies. fruit? why not go straight to the source.

it's called community supported agriculture. and it's really starting to take off. basically the way it works is local customers pay in advance for a share of whatever a given farm produces, that could include meat, dairy, produce. usually it is a local farm where consumers know how the animals are treated, what they're fed and not fed. this is particularly important to a lot of customers who were concerned about food recalls, about chemicals being used or even animal cruelty. also it supports the local economy and local farmers benefit. the way it works is the food is packaged at the farm and then it is delivered in person right to the customer. an added benefit, apparently taste. one man did a blind taste test and the farm-fresh beef was "so much better." you're probably asking, what about the price? well, check out the full story at cnn.com/video. we don't have time now but it is an interesting story. >> i like that a lot. good stuff, virginia. thank you. a boston police officer was suspended for using a racial

slur in an e-mail about the gates arrest. what he's now doing to get his badge back.

"prime news" is coming up. fi time to check in with the rundown. a heartbreaking story we've been following for quite a while. >> talking about the little 8-year-old, robert manwill, his body found in a canal. just so sad. richelle, when we stop on this story and think about childhood innocence, what we're finding out is there are reports that a 7-year-old girl was one of the last people to see him. she tells the story of how they were on a swing set together. he's on the green one, i'm on the red one. summertime childhood innocence. >> how it is supposed to be. >> how it is supposed to be. we're not supposed to be talking about an 8-year-old. 1 of the 2 of them anyway ending up dead. who was the last to see little robert manwill? call in, 1-877-tell-hln is the number. also been following all day of course the horrible shooting at the fitness center just outside of pittsburgh. we've had a chance reading his

blogs. can you do an hour show on what this guy was all about, what could have led him to this. that's obviously one of the first questions, why. we'll delve into that and also talk to a young lady who was in that class and escaped with her life. her riveting story coming up. we'll change the mood with this one. who doesn't love baby feet? come on! there's no funk yet or anything. everybody loves baby feet. how is a burger king manager booting out a baby and her mom because the little 6-month-old doesn't have shoes. no shoes, no shirt, no service? a baby doesn't have shoes so you're going to boot him? that's what we have here. burger kick is chiming in. we want you to chime in, call up, 1-877-tell-hln. richelle and i coming your way a little bit later. >> that sounds a little messed up. >> it is. >> all right, mike. i'll be there in a little bit. well, a boston police officer, the one who was suspended for a blistering e-mail he wrote about the henry louis gates arrest is fighting

back. joe johns tells us how he's responding to the threat of possibly losing his job. >> reporter: first he fired off a racially offensive e-mail to the "boston globe." then when it got him suspended, he fired off a lawsuit against the city of boston claiming his civil rights were violated. officer justin barrett's e-mail complained about a column sympathetic to harvard professor henry louis gates recently arrested by the cambridge police. the e-mail got him suspended from the police department. should the e-mail be enough to cost him his badge? you be the judge. >> he wrote, "if i was the officer he verbally assaulted like a banana eating jungle monkey, i would have sprayed him in the face with oc, a reference to police-issued pepper pray. he called part it jungle monkey gibberish. he said he transcended back to a mumbling jungle monkey and told the writer had he column should have been entitled "conduct

unbecoming a jungle monkey, back to one's roots." barrett asserted in the e-mail he's not a racist an went on tv to apologize. >> i am not a racist. i did not intend i did not intend it in my words. >> reporter: the mayor was quoted as saying barrett is gone. g-o-n-e. >> his comments were racist and inflammatory. they have no place in this department or in our society and will not be tolerated. >> reporter: barrett's lawsuit claims he wasfestively terminated without due process or equal protection of the law, among other things. that his contract rights were violated. and accused the city of intentional infliction of emotional distress. but cnn legal analyst and former civil rights lawyer lisa bloom doesn't see much merit to the suit. >> officer barrett's comments in writing are so extreme and beyond the pale, that his

continued presence on the police force would be a disruption, and a distraction. and i think he has to go. i think he is entitled to a hearing. that's one thing he asks for in the lawsuit. he probably is entitled to the hearing. but at that hearing he's going to lose. >> reporter: some might say his words speak for themselves. joe johns, cnn, washington. which do you think would cost more, buying a new house or having a child? just one child. well, a new government report finds that it will cost you $221,000 to raise a son or a daughter. i think daughters cost a little bit more. an average middle income family, and with higher incomes will spend more while lower-income families spend lest. it calculates food to housing. listen to this. it stops at age 17. so that figure does not include college tuition. wow. fans of "american idol" won't be seeing one of the

show's original judges next season. paula abdul is out. a.j. hammer has the scoop about the shocking "idol" shakeup on hln news and views.